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SIR   PERCEVAL  OF  GALLES 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

Hgents 

THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  COMPANY 

NEW    YORK 


CAMBRIDGE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON  AND  EDINBURGH 


Sir  Perceval  of  Galles 

A  Study  of  the  Sources  of 
the  Legend 


BY 

REGINALD   HARVEY  GRIFFITH 

Adjunct  Professor  of  English  in    The   University  of  Texas 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


COPTHIGHT  1911  By 
The  Univeesitt  of  Chicago 


All  Eights  Reserved 


Published  March  1911 


•       •  •        7    ^ 

'  •  ,       •    *  * « 


Composed  and  Printed  By 

The  University  of  Chicago  Press 

Chicago,  Illinois,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

In  making  this  investigation,  many  obstacles  besides  the  scanti- 
ness of  time  allowed  by  classroom  duties  have  had  to  be  overcome. 
The  University  of  Texas  library  is  not  a  large  one,  and,  in  the 
field  immediately  concerned,  is  weak.  Access  to  needed  books 
has  been  had  only  in  summer  vacations  and  in  libraries  a  thousand 
miles  and  more  away  from  Austin.  The  difficulty  continues  a 
very  present  one.  In  seeing  the  book  through  the  press,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  verify  references  by  a  comparison  with  original 
authorities,  but  have  had  to  rely  upon  my  manuscript  notes.  To 
hope  that  no  errors  have  crept  in  is  unreasonable;  but  I  trust  the 
reader  will  find  them  few,  and  will  believe  that  I  have  made  a 
painstaking  endeavor  to  avoid  them. 

In  seeking  the  origins  of  the  Perceval  tale,  I  have  circum- 
scribed the  interpretation  of  "origins."  It  is  the  immediate 
ancestry,  not  the  ultimate  source,  that  has  here  been  sought. 
I  have  made  no  inquiry  into  Old  Irish  literature  in  the  expectation 
of  pointing  out  its  parallels  to  the  Perceval  tale,  if  such  there  be; 
nor  any  into  folklore  domains  in  the  hope  of  tracing  the  tale  or 
its  elements  to  an  origin  in  custom,  myth,  or  religion.  Finally, 
the  Grail  problem  lies  outside  the  limits  of  this  investigation, 
since  no  allusion  to  the  Grail  occurs  in  the  English  poem  which  is 
taken  as  the  point  of  departure. 

In  several  ways  this  study  is  incomplete,  as  perhaps  any  study 
of  its  kind  must  be.     The  number  of  tales  discussed  is  large,  for 
._      I  have  mentioned  every  tale  I  have  found  that  appears  to  throw 

0  light  on  the  origin  of  the  tale  of  Perceval  as  it  is  told  in  Sir  Perceval 
of  Galles;  but  the  collection  makes  no  pretense  to  finality.  There 
are  doubtless  many  variants  now  unknown  to  me.  If  the  reader 
will  indicate  any  such,  I  shall  feel  much  beholden  to  him.     In 

1  especial,  the  tale  which  is  studied  in  chapter  III  (the  tale  in  which 
JJ        a  despised  youth  avenges  an  insult  to  his  king  and  relieves  his 

relatives  from  the  attacks  of  an  army  that,  slam  every  day,  is 
restored  to  life  every  night  by  a  hag  with  a  reviving  cordial)  is 


S2» 


302248 


VI  PREFACE 

intrinsically  most  interesting,  and  would  surely  repay  investiga- 
tion. J.  F.  Campbell  says  his  MSS  contained  variants.  Still 
others  are  doubtless  procurable.  Any  tales,  too,  that  appear  akin 
to  the  story  of  the  secondary  heroine,  the  lady  whom  Perceval 
kissed  and  so  brought  into  reproach,  will  be  welcome  additions. 

The  courtesies  I  have  received  from  many  people  are  remem- 
bered most  kindly  and  with  a  lively  sense  of  obligation.  To 
Professor  John  M.  Manly,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  I  owe 
a  debt  of  gratitude  for  inducting  me  into  the  mystery  and  fascina- 
tion of  mediaeval  romance.  The  late  Alfred  Nutt,  whose  recent 
death  seems  a  personal  loss  to  me,  was  very  kind  when  I  ventured 
to  seek  him  in  his  house  of  business  some  years  ago.  Miss  Jessie 
L.  Weston  was  cordially  friendly  when  I  had  opportunity  to  dis- 
cuss Sir  Perceval  with  her  one  summer.  To  the  books  and  articles 
of  the  many  students  who  have  preceded  me  my  indebtedness  is 
writ  large  on  every  page.  The  authorities  of  Lincoln  Cathedral, 
of  the  British  Museum,  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  and  of  the 
university  libraries  at  Yale,  Harvard,  Chicago,  Wisconsin,  and 
Texas  I  desire  to  thank  heartily  for  their  many  favors.  And  to 
my  colleagues  and  very  good  friends.  Professor  Callaway,  Professor 
Campbell,  and  Dr.  Law,  my  very  best  thanks  are  due  for  criticism 
and  many  another  deed  of  kindness;  all  of  them  have  "read  proof" 
for  me;  how  can  friendship  do  more? — unless  it  be  to  "read  proof" 
twice,  as  Professor  Campbell  and  Professor  Callaway  have  both 
done. 

R.  H.  Griffith 

Austin,  Texas,  U.S.A. 
March  7,  19 11 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction   .........       i 

Statement  of  the  problem. — Materials  from  which  evidence  is  to 
be  adduced:  a  condensed  bibliography. — Resume  of  opinions  of 
some  of  the  most  important  students. — Lines  of  investigation  in 
the  present  study. 

Chapter  I:  The  Hero's  Forest  Rearing        .         .         .14 

The  four  incidents  to  be  considered. — Comparison  of  SP  and  C 
by  svmimaries. — Evidence  of  other  versions,  by  simimaries.  The 
father's  marriage  tournament,  in  SP  and  W.  The  father's 
death,  in  SP,  PC,  W,  Pd,  Card,  Fool;  some  comments.  The 
widow's  flight,  in  SP,  PC,  W,  Pd,  Card,  Fool.  Boyish  exploits,  in 
SP,  W,  Pd,  Card,  Fool,  Ty;  comment;  evidence  of  C. — Table. — 
Argument:  C  as  the  source;  any  other  version  as  the  source. — 
Conclusions. 

Chapter  II:  The  Hero's  Awkward  Attempts  to  Follow 

Instructions 29 

The  four  incidents  to  be  considered;  materials  not  sufficient  for  an 
argument;  summary  of  SP. — Two  divisions  of  two  incidents 
each.— Table:  SP,  W,  Card,  Ty,  Fool,  C,  Pd,  PC— First,  or 
Religious  Instruction-Forest  Knights  portion;  comment. — Second, 
or  Advice-Tent  adventure  portion:  Advice,  summaries  of  SP,  W, 
Card,  Ty,  C,  Pd;  Tent  incident,  summaries  of  SP,  W,  C,  Pd; 
comment. — ^Tentative  conclusion. 

Chapter  III:  The  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  Story        .     40 

The  five  incidents  to  be  considered. — Summaries  of  SP  and  C. — 
Their  difi'erences. — Incident  of  the  arrival  of  the  hero  at  court; 
summaries  of  Pd,  Ty,  Card,  Fool;  comment. — ^The  Red  Elnight- 
Witch-Uncle  story:  summaries  of  SP,  Pd{a),  Pd{b),  G,  Red  Sh, 
Red  Sh  Variants,  Conall;  table  of  incidents;  table  of  particulars; 
summaries  of  another  set  of  tales,  arranged  in  four  groups. — 
Comment  and  argument  on  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story; 
the  Insult,  its  types;  the  Meeting  with  Relatives,  the  number  of 
meetings,  the  Uncle,  the  Three  Young  Men,  the  two  Women;  the 
Witch;  the  Death  of  the  Insulter. — Recapitulation. — The  incor- 
poration of  the  story  into  the  frame-tale. 

vii 


Vm  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Chapter  IV:  The  Relief  of  the  Besieged  Lady    .         .     78 

The  six  incidents  to  be  considered. — Summaries  of  SP  and  C. — 
Their  four  notable  differences. — "The  Saracen  Influence";  sum- 
maries of  SP,  W,  Conall,  Saudan  Og,  Pd{b) ;  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  the  argument. — Recapitulation;  comment  and  argument  on 
the  "Saracen  Influence." — A  new  problem  stated. 

Chapter  V:   The  Rescue  of  the  Lady  Falsely  Accused    94 

The  nine  incidents  to  be  considered;  two  groups,  the  first  of  seven, 
the  second  of  two  incidents. — Simimary  of  SP. — An  incident- 
outline  of  SP,  C,  W,  Pd. — The  Tent  Lady's  history:  differences 
between  SP  and  C. — The  Snow  Scene  in  C. — The  Tent  Lady- 
Giant  story :  summaries  of  Yv  and  LF  {SP  not  repeated) ;  table 
of  incidents;  table  of  particulars. — Threads  that  bind  this  story 
together:  Tent  Lord's  suspicion;  the  Lady's  ring;  the  Giant 
combat  and  Gawain's  relative. — The  evidence  of  W  concerning 
this  story. — SP  and  C  compared  again. — The  hero's  mother. — 
His  wife. — The  end  of  the  tale. 

Conclusion      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .116 

Resume  of  the  foregoing  chapters. — The  test  of  synthesis. — 
A-Stage:  summary  of  frame-tale;  tales  showing  it. — B-Stage: 
simamary  of  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story;  tales  showing  it; 
the  process  of  absorption;  summary  of  the  resultant  account. — 
C-Stage:  summary  of  Tent  Lady-Giant  story;  process  of  absorp- 
tion; summary  of  the  resultant  account. — D-Stage:  cleavage;  one 
branch  subjected  to  Saracen  Influence;  development  within  this 
stage. — E-Stage:  the  Grail  story  incorporated. — F-Stage:  the  Swan 
Knight  story  incorporated. — Diagram. — Geographical  home  of  the 
sources. — A  final  word  on  the  evidence  adduced. — SP  independent 
of  C. — SP  probably  not  the  translation  of  any  French  poem. 


INTRODUCTION 

The  problem  to  which  the  following  pages  address  themselves 
concerns  the  origin  of  the  mediaeval  English  poem  Sir  Perceval  of 
Galles,  whether  or  not  it  is  the  offspring  of  a  romance  composed 
in  French  by  Crestien  de  Troyes  and  now  commonly  known  as 
Perceval  le  Gallois,  ou  le  Conte  du  Graal. 

The  materials  from  which  to  draw  evidence  for  an  argument  are 
a  group  of  tales^  gathered  from  widely  separated  places — from 
England,  Wales,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  from  France,  Germany, 
and  Italy.     They  may  be  Hsted  as  follows: 

1.  SP. — Sir  Perceval  of  Galles  {ca.  1370)  is  a  Middle-English 
metrical  romance,  preserved,  with  some  imperfections  and  sHght 
irregularities,  as  143  sixteen-line  stanzas  (2,288  lines),  in  a  single 
MS,  the  Thornton  MS  of  Lincoln  Cathedral.  It  was  printed  by 
J.  O.  Halliwell  in  The  Thornton  Romances  (pp.  1-87),  for  the  Camden 
Society  in  1844,  and  reprinted  at  the  Kelmscott  Press  in  1895. 
Its  dialect  is  Northwest  Midland,  its  date  about  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century  (some  of  its  phrases  are  quoted  in  Chaucer's 
''Sir  Thopas");  its  author  is  unknown,  but  its  rhyme-scheme  and 
plot-structure  indicate  that  the  composer  was  not  without  practice.' 

2.  C. — Crestien's  tale  of  Perceval,  Le  Conte  du  Graal  {ca.  1175), 
is  an  uncompleted  poem  of  about  9,300  lines  in  Old  French.  It 
usually  appears  as  part  of  a  mass  of  verse  that  grew  up  around  it. 

This  composite  mass  developed  because  of  the  desire  of  other  poets  to 
finish  what  Crestien  left  unfinished.  No  single  book  contains  all  of  it.  There 
are  sixteen  MSS,  the  longest  of  which  stretched  its  meter  to  the  length  (impos- 
sible, let  us  hope,  outside  of  an  antique  song)  of  more  than  63,000  lines.  A 
prose  redaction  was  printed  in  Paris  in  1530,  and  Potvin  edited  the  larger 
part  of  the  "poem"  as  Perceval  le  Gallois,  ou  le  Conte  du  Graal,  in  six  volumes, 
Mons,  1866-71.  Besides  Crestien,  three  other  contributors  are  known  by 
name,  Wauchier  (Gaucher,  Gautier),  Manessier,  and  Gerbert;   but  the  limits 

'  I  have  uniformly  used  the  word  "tale"  to  mean  the  whole  account  any  one  author  gives 
of  his  hero;  "story"  to  mean  a  group  of  incidents  more  closely  bound  to  each  other  than  to 
other  incidents  in  the  tale  in  which  they  stand — a  circle  within  a  circle,  so  to  speak. 

'  For  working  bibliography  see  A.  H.  Billings,  "A  Guide  to  the  Middle  English  Metrical 
Romances,"  Yale  Studies  in  English  (1901),  125  ff. 


SIR   PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 


of  the  portions  they  contributed  are  uncertain.  At  least  two  writers  prefixed 
introductions  to  Crestien's  lines.  One  of  these  introductions  and  the  portions 
by  Crestien  and  Gerbert  are  the  parts  of  the  "poem"  I  have  used  most. 

3.  PC. — The  second  of  the  two  introductions  just  mentioned  is 
about  800  lines  long;  once  thought  by  some  scholars  to  be  by 
Crestien,  it  is  now  considered  the  work  of  an  anonymous  contrib- 
utor, and  is  referred  to  as  one  of  the  "pseudo-Crestien"  portions. 
It  is  preserved  in  two  MSS,  Mons  and  British  Museum  Add.  36,614; 
its  substance  appears  in  part  in  the  prose  redaction  of  1530;  and 
it  is  printed  in  full  from  MS  Mons  by  Potvin.  The  first  introduc- 
tion (Potvin,  1-484)  may  be  referred  to  as  Elucidation. 

4.  G. — Gerbert's  "Continuation"  is  preserved  in  two  MSS, 
but  it  has  not  been  printed.  I  have  had  to  rely  upon  two  resumes, 
one  given  by  Potvin  (Vol.  VI)  and  the  other  by  Miss  Weston  in 
The  Library  (magazine),  January,  1904.  Gerbert's  10,000  lines 
appear  in  the  MSS  between  the  parts  by  Wauchier  and  Manessier. 

If  the  reader  will  imagine  Potvin's  edition  revised  so  as  to  place 
Gerbert's  lines  before  Manessier's,  he  may  gather  from  the  appended 
table  an  idea  of  the  various  parts  of  the  Conte. 


Author 

Lines 

Nature  of  Contents 

Assigned  Date 

Anonvmous 

1-484 
485-1,282 
1,283-10,601 

10,602-34,934 
34,93S-ca.  4S,ooo 
ca.  45,000-ca.  63,000 

"Elucidation";  Grail's 
mystery  and  winners 

Death  of  Perceval's  father; 
flight  of  his  mother 

Perceval's  deeds;  Ga- 
wain's  adventures 

Adventures    of    Perceval 

and  others 
Ditto 

Ditto 

1220-30 
1220-30 
I175 

I 190-1200 
1216-25 

Anonvmous      

Crestien  de  Troyes .... 

Wauchier,  and  Inter- 
polators   

Gerbert 

Manessier,  and  Inter- 
Dolators 

1210-20 

For  discussions  of  these  tales  see  the  books  mentioned  on  pp. 
7  ff.,  infra,  and  the  authorities  to  which  they  in  turn  refer. 

5.  W. — Parzival  ( ?i2oo-i2i6),  a  Middle-High- German  poem  by 
Wolfram  von  Eschenbach,  has  been  preserved  in  many  MSS  and 
edited  by  several  scholars.  I  have  used  editions  by  K.  Bartsch 
{Deutsche  Classiker  des  Mittelalters ,  Leipzig,  1875-77),  P.  Piper 
{Deutsche  National-Litteratur,  Stuttgart,   1890-92),   and  K.  Lach- 


INTRODUCTION  3 

mann  (4th  ed.,  Berlin,  1879);  translations  by  Hertz  and  by 
Botticher  into  modern  German;  and  the  translation  by  Miss  Weston 
into  English.  The  poem  is  arranged  in  sixteen  books,  averaging 
about  1,500  lines  each.  Books  I-VI  and  XIV  are  the  ones  I  have 
used  most.     My  references  are  to  Bartsch's  edition. 

6.  Pd. — Peredur  (?i25o-i35o),  a  Welsh  prose  tale  in  which  the 
hero  is  Perceval  under  another  name,  is  preserved  in  the  Welsh 
Red  Book  of  Hergest,  dating  from  i3oo(?)  to  i35o(?).  It  was 
translated  into  English  by  Lady  Charlotte  Guest  (The  Mabinogion, 
1838-49),  and  into  French  by  J.  Loth  (in  D.  de  Jubainville's 
Cours  de  Litt.  Celtigue,  Vol.  IV,  Paris,  1889).  Reprints  of  Lady 
Guest's  text  issued  by  D.  Nutt,  1902,  1904,  by  Dent,  1906,  and 
by  other  pubhshers  have  made  Peredur  the  most  easily  accessible 
of  all  the  versions  of  the  Perceval  tale.  My  references  are  by  pages 
to  Nutt's  reprint  (when  no  name  is  given)  and  to  Loth's  translation. 

I  have  not  had  opportunity  to  see  The  White  Book  Mabinogion:  Welsh 
Tales  and  Romances  Reproduced  from  the  Peniarth  MSS,  edited  by  J.  Gwen- 
ogvryn  Evans,  Pwllheli,  1909.  In  his  review  of  this  volume  {Folk  Lore,  June, 
1910,  pp.  237-46),  Nutt  comments  upon  Evans'  Introduction. 

7.  Ty. — Tyolet  (?i25o),  a  French  lai  preserved  in  a  single  MS, 
was  printed  by  G.  Paris  in  Romania,  VIII  (1879).  The  704  lines 
of  the  poem  fall  into  two  parts :  {a)  the  early  life  of  Tyolet  and  his 
coming  to  court  (1-320);  {b)  the  adventure  of  the  White  Stag, 
whereby  Tyolet  wins  a  wife  (321-704).  I  have  used  all  of  the 
first  part,  and  the  concluding  lines  of  the  second. 

8.  Card. — Carduino  (?i375),  an  Itahan  poem,  was  published 
from  a  unique  MS  by  Rajna  in  1873  {Poemetti  Cavallereschi,  Bologna) . 
A  portion  of  the  poem  is  wanting  in  the  middle.  There  remain  two 
cantos,  one  of  thirty-five  eight-line  stanzas,  the  other  of  seventy- 
two.     My  references  are  to  stanzas. 

Card  is  the  most  primitive  of  its  group  of  four  tales;  the  others  are  Libeaus 
Desconus  (LD),  Bel  Inconnu  {BI),  and  Wigalois  i}Vig).  For  an  excellent 
study  of  the  group  cf.  W.  H.  Schofield,  "Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconus," 
Harvard  Studies  atid  Notes,  IV,  1895. 

9.  Yv. — Yvain  (?ii65),  by  Crestien  de  Troyes,  ed.  by  W. 
Foerster,  Halle,  1887,  and  later  years.  References  are  to  the 
edition  of  1906. 


4  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

10.  LF. — The  Lady  of  the  Fountain  (?i25o),  the  Welsh  version 
of  the  Iwain  tale,  is  accessible  in  Lady  Guest's  Mahinogion  (Nutt's 
reprint,  pp.  167  £f.)  and  in  Loth's  translation  (ref.  as  for  Pd,  supra), 
pp.  I  ff. 

On  9-10,  see  a  valuable  essay  by  A.  C.  L.  Brown,  "Iwain:  A  Study  in  the 
Origins  of  Arthurian  Romance"  {Harvard  Studies  and  Notes,  VIII,  1-147), 
1903;  and  Foerster's  comment  on  Brown's  book,  Yvain  (ed.  1906),  p.  xlix. 

Besides  the  materials  already  mentioned  there  are  some  folk- 
tales still  current  that  furnish  evidence.  These  tales  are  told  of 
different  heroes,  and  no  one  of  them  relates  more  than  a  portion  of 
the  adventures  attributed  to  Perceval.  Often,  indeed,  it  requires 
a  comparative  study  to  show  that  the  adventures  are  akin.  The 
citation  of  these  tales,  however,  makes  it  possible  for  us  to  study 
the  evolution  of  the  Perceval  tale.  They  are  presented  in  three 
groups. 

THE   SCOTCH   GROUP 

11.  Fool. — Amadan  Mor,  or  the  Lay  of  the  Great  Fool} 

12.  Red  Sh. — The  Knight  of  the  Red  Shield. 

13.  Conall. — Conall  Gulhan.* 

14.  Een. — How  the  Een  Was  Set  Up.^ 

11-14  are  from  J.  F.  Campbell,  Popular  Tales  of  the  West  Highlands  (four 
vols.,  London,  1890-93):  Fool,  III,  160-93;  Red  Sh,  II,  451-93;  Conall,  III, 
199-297;   Een,  III,  348-60. 

15.  Manus. — A  Tale  of  Young  Manus. 

Maclnnes  and  Nutt,  "Folk  and  Hero  Tales  of  Argyllshire,"  Waifs  and 
Strays  of  Celtic  Tradition,  II  (1890),  338-75. 

'  There  are  other  versions  of  the  Lay,  which  may  be  spoken  of  as  variants:  var.  a  is  O'Daly's, 
in  Transactions  of  the  Ossianic  Soc,  VI,  161-207;  var.  b,  "Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach 
of  the  Castle  of  Gold,"  in  Curtin's  Hero  Tales  of  Ireland,  140-62;  and  var.  c,  "The  Amadhan 
Mor,"  in  Kennedy's  Bardic  Stories  of  Ireland  (1871),  151-55. 

'  Conall  var.  a,  "The  Adventures  of  Conall  Gulban,"  is  in  Kennedy's  Bardic  Stories  of 
Ireland,  156-60;  its  variations  do  not  help  us.  Dr.  D.  Hyde  says  (Beside  the  Fire  [London, 
i8go],  p.  xxxii)-  "On  comparing  [Campbell's  Conall]  with  an  Irish  MS,  by  Father  Manus 
O'Donnell,  made  in  1708,  and  another  made  about  the  beginning  of  this  century,  by  Michael 
O'Longan,  of  Carricknavar,  I  was  surprised  to  find  incident  following  incident  with  wonderful 
regularity  in  both  versions." 

'  There  are  several  versions  of  Fionn's  youthful  deeds,  which  only  in  part  parallel  those 
of  Perceval.  A  second  version  is  "The  Boyish  Exploits  of  Finn  MacCumhail"  in  Transactions 
of  the  Ossianic  Soc.  (Dublin,  1859).  A  third  is  "The  Birth  of  Fin  MacCumhail";  see  chap, 
iii,  64,  infra. 


INTRODUCTION  5 

1 6.  Big  Men.— Fin  MacCoul  in  the  Kingdom  of  the  Big  Men. 

17.  Ransom. — -Fiomi's  Ransom. 

16-17  are  in  J.  G.  Campbell,  "The  Fians,"  Waifs  and  Strays  of  Celtic  Tra- 
dition, IV,  175-91,  242-57. 

THE   IRISH   GROUP 

18.  Lonesome. — The  King  of  Erin  and  the  Queen  of  Lonesome 
Island. 

19.  Kil  A. — Kil  Arthur. 

20.  Fear  Duhh. — Fin  MacCumhail  and  the  Fenians  of  Erin  in 
the  Castle  of  Fear  Duhh. 

18-20  are  in  J.  Curtin,  Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland  (Boston,  1890), 
93-113,  175-85,221-31. 

21.  Coldfeet. — Coldfeet  and  the  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island. 

22.  Lawn  D. — Lawn  Dyarrig,  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  and  the 
Green  Knight  of  Terrible  Valley . 

23.  Faolan. — Fin  MacCool,  Faolan,  and  the  Mountain  of  Happi- 
ness. 

21-23  are  in  J.   Curtin,  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland  (Boston,   1S94),   242-61, 
262-82,484-513. 

24.  Mananaun. — King  Mananaun. 

25.  Red  Belt. — The  Champion  of  the  Red  Belt. 

24-25  are  in  W.  Larminie,  West  Irish  Folk  Tales  and  Romances  (London, 
1893),  64-84,  85-105. 

26.  D'yerree. — The  Well  of  D^yerree-in-Dowan. 
D.  Hyde,  Beside  the  Fire  (London,  1890),  129-41. 

27.  Dough. — Amadan  of  the  Dough. 

28.  Hookedy. — Hookedy-Crookedy. 

27-28  are  in  S.  MacManus,  Donegal  Fairy  Tales  (New  York,  1900),  29-57, 
95-133- 

29.  Golden  Mines. — Queen  of  the  Golden  Mines. 

S.  MacManus,  In  Chimney  Corners  (New  York,  1899),  37-53. 


6  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

THE   WELSH   GROUP 

30.  Kg  of  Eng. — King  of  England  and  His  Three  Sons. 

J.  Jacobs,  More  English  Fairy  Tales  (1894),  132-45.  Although  in  a  book 
of  EngHsh  tales,  this  tale,  so  a  note  implies,  came  from  a  gypsy  in  Wales. 

BRETON   TALES 

The  two  tales  of  Morvan  Lez  Breiz,  and  Peronnik  l' Idiot  I  have 
not  used:  primarily,  because  they  offer  no  help;  Morvan  offers 
only  the  battle  against  a  black  giant,  the  ''More  du  Roi,"  which 
bears  but  the  faintest  Hkeness  to  a  part  of  SP,  and  gives  no  help 
at  all,  and  Peronnik  is  like  SP  in  only  two  places — the  beginning 
and  the  end — and  only  vaguely  similar  there;  and  secondarily 
because  de  la  Villemarque's  Morvan  has  been  discredited,  and 
Souvestre's  Peronnik  has  been  suspected  of  being  not  altogether  a 
folk-tale,  not  altogether  free,  i.e.,  from  "cooking." 

TEUTONIC   TALES 

Nutt,  "Mabinogion  Studies,"  Folk  Lore  Record,  V  (1882),  1-32, 
compares  Red  Sh  with  the  Faroese  Hognilied,  with  parts  of  the 
Volsunga  and  the  Thiarek  Sagas,  and  with  the  Hilde  legend 
(mentioned  in  Bartsch's  Kudrun,  pp.  v-viii).  I  have  not  been  able 
to  get  at  the  books  for  a  proper  study  of  the  Hild  story,  and  cannot 
tell  whether  it  is  akin  to  the  "Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  story" 
of  chapter  III,  infra,  or  not.  Two  versions  given  in  Magnusson 
and  Morris'  Three  Northern  Love  Stories  (London,  1901)  give  no 
evidence  of  kinship;  the  same  statement  holds  for  Saxo  Gram- 
maticus;  for  the  brief  outlines  in  Bartsch's  and  in  Symons'  editions 
of  Gudrun  and  in  Schofield's  translation  (pp.  193-94)  of  S.  Bugge's 
The  Home  of  the  Eddie  Poems  (London,  1899);  and  for  the  discus- 
sions in  Paul's  Grundriss  (2d  ed.),  Ill,  711,  in  F.  Panzer's  Hilde- 
Gudrun  (1901),  and  in  F.  E.  Sandbach's  Niehelungenlied  an4  Gudrun 
in  England  and  America  (1903). 

For  the  tales  that  I  have  listed  the  source  has  been  carefully 
stated  by  all  the  collectors  except  MacManus. 


INTRODUCTION  7 

Other  tales  are  referred  to,  but  bibliographical  information  con- 
cerning them  is  given  in  notes. 

On  the  propriety  of  using  these  tales,  see  the  note  on  p.  41, 
infra. 

In  the  seventy  years  since  the  matter  began  to  be  much  discussed, 
almost  every  shade  of  opinion  possible  has  been  expressed  concern- 
ing the  relation  of  the  English  Sir  Perceval  to  the  French  Conte 
du  Graal.  The  English  poem  makes  no  mention  of  the  Grail,  yet, 
paradoxically,  every  scholar  who  has  studied  the  origin  of  the 
Grail  legend  has  been  forced  to  consider  the  Sir  Perceval.  Digests 
of  the  body  of  the  literature  that  has  thus  grown  up  are  to  be  found 
in  several  places;  e.g.,  in  A.  Nutt's  Studies  in  the  Legend  of  the  Holy 
Grail  (London,  1888);  in  E.  Wechssler's  Die  Sage  vom  heiligen 
Gral  in  ihrer  Entwicklung  bis  auf  Richard  Wagners  Parsifal  (Halle, 
1898);  and  in  Miss  J.  L.  Weston's  Legend  of  Sir  Perceval  (London, 
1906-9).  On  the  more  restricted  subject,  the  relation  of  the  Eng- 
lish poem  to  the  French,  a  good  working  resume  is  given  by  Miss 
A.  H.  Billings,  in  her  "Guide  to  the  Middle  English  Metrical 
Romances,"  Yale  Studies,  IX  (1901).  It  does  not  seem  advisable 
to  recapitulate  here  all  the  opinions  scholars  have  expressed,  but 
the  leading  ones,  arranged  in  groups,  may  be  stated. 

FIRST   group:     GERVINUS   and   GASTON  PARIS 

1871.  Gervinus,  G.  G.  Geschichte  der  deutschen  Dichtung.  3  vols.  Leip- 
zig. Fiinfte  vollig  umgearbeitete  Auflage. — i,  576-77:  "Wir  haben  oben  die 
bretagnischen  Volkslieder  von  Morvan  erwahnt,  die  von  seiner  einsamen  Wald- 
erziehung  erzahlen,  und  wie  er  seine  Mutter,  nach  Ritterthaten  diirstend,  ver- 
lasst,  die  dann  der  Gram  um  ihn  todtet.  Ob  diese  einfache  Sage  zuerst  an  dem 
Namen  Morvan  oder  an  welchem  anderen  gehaftet  habe,  ist  gleichgiiltig; 
gewiss  ist  sie  der  Kern  und  Rahmen  der  Sage,  deren  Held  im  12.  Jahrh.  in 
walschen  und  romanischen  Erzahlungen  die  Namen  Peredur  und  Parzival 
fiihrt.  In  einer  sehr  volksthiimlichen  Gestalt,  die  an  jenem  cinfachen  Kern 
am  treuesten  festhalt,  ist  die  Sage  in  einem  spaten,  strophisch  abgetheilten, 
burlesken  Gedichte  eines  englischen  Bankelsangers  des  14.  Jahrhs.  erhalten, 
das  einem  alteren  bretagnischen  Lai  nacherzahlt  sein  mag." 

1883.  Paris,  Gaston.  "Perceval  et  la  legende  du  Saint-Graal,"  Bulletin 
de  la  Societe  Historique  et  Cercle  Saint-Simon,  II  (November,  1882,  Paris): 
"Le  conte  de  Perceval  appartient  a  la  tradition  galloise,  recueillie  de  la  bouche 


8  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

des  conteurs  et  musiciens  gallois  par  les  jongleurs  et  trouveurs  normands  ou 
frangais  apres  la  conquete  de  I'Angleterre.  La  forme  la  plus  authentique  de  ce 
conte  nous  est  sans  doute  representee  par  un  poeme  anglais  du  XIII*  siecle, 

Sir  Perzivell,  dans  lequel  le  graal  ne  joue  encore  aucun  role Le  Sir 

Perzivell  s'appuie  certainement  sur  un  poeme  anglo-normand  perdu,  et  nous 
offre  un  specimen  des  romans  biographiques  qui  forment  la  plus  ancienne 
couche  des  romans  franfais  du  cycle  breton"  (pp.  98-99). 

1888.  [Paris,  Gaston.]  Histovre  litteraire  de  la  France,  Ouvrage  commence 
par  des  Religieux  Benedictins,  etc.  (Paris),  Vol.  XXX:  "L'editeur,  M.  Halli- 
well,  le  {SP)  regardait  tout  simplement  comme  un  abrege  tres  sommaire  du 
Perceval  de  Chretien  et  des  continuations  de  ce  poeme.     Une  telle  opinion 

n'est  pas  sou  tenable Le 'Sir  Percevelle'remonte  done  a  une  autre  source, 

et  sans  doute  a  un  poeme  anglo-normand  (p.  259) La  vraie  place  de 

'Sir  Percevelle'  dans  revolution  du  cycle  tou jours  amplifie  de  Perceval  a, 

au  contraire,  ete  parfaitement  discernee  par  un  savant  qui  est  un  poete 

M.  Wilhelm  Hertz  ....  a  montre  que  le  poeme  anglais  nous  represente, 
sous  une  forme  assez  voisine  de  I'original,  quoique  alteree,  un  des  elements 
primordiaux  qui  sont  entres  dans  la  composition  du  conte  gallois  et  du  roman 
frangais.  II  faut  ajouter,  comme  nous  I'avons  dit,  que  ce  poeme  repose  tres 
probablement  sur  un  poeme  anglo-normand,  derriere  lequel  on  peut  avec 
vraisemblance  chercher  un  conte  purement  celtique"  (p.  261). 

SECOND  group:  steinbach,  nutt,  and  kolbing 

1885.  Steinbach,  Paul.  Ueber  den  einfluss  des  Crestien  de  Troies  auf  die 
altenglische  literatur.  Diss.,  Leipzig:  "Dass  diese  annahme  des  beriihmten 
literar-historikers  (Gervinus)  betreffs  der  vorlage  unseres  gedichtes  entschieden 

eine  irrige  zu  nennen  ist,  wird  die  folgende  untersuchung  zeigen  (p.  28) 

Bis  vers  820  folgt  der  engl.  dichter  genau  dem  gauge  der  erzahlung  des  franzo- 
sichen  gedichtes  (hier  bis  vers  2400) ,  mit  nur  wenigen  und  nicht  bedeutenden 
abanderungen,  ....  dagegen  manchen  punkt  weglassend  und  stark  kurzend. 

Von  vers  821  linden  wir  ....  Cr.  mehr  oder  weniger  frei  benutzt  (35) 

In  einen,  urspriinglich  bretonischen  iiberlieferungen  entstammenden  rahmen 
hat  er  [the  English  poet]  in  freier  kurzender  bearbeitung,  unter  benutzung 
einiger  vielleicht  bei  den  in  England  wohnenden  Bretonen  vorgefundenen 
volkstiimlichen  ziige,  teils  alteren,  teils  neueren  ursprungs,  und  unter  hinzu- 
fiigung  einiger  an  die  schilderung  von  kampfen  in  den  Chansons  de  geste 
erinnernder  partien,  das  Crestiensche  werk  'Li  contes  del  graal'  bis  ca.  v.  6000 
eingeschoben,  indem  er  sich  dabei  im  ersten  teile  seines  gedichtes  (bis  v.  821) 
mehr,  im  letzteren  weniger  an  dasselbe  anlehnt  und  zugleich  mit  bemerkens- 
werter  konsequenz  jede  beriihrung  mit  der  gralsage  vermeidet"  (41). 

1 88 1.  Nutt,  Alfred.  "The  Aryan  Expulsion-and-Return  Formula  in 
the  Folk  and  Hero-Tales  of  the  Celts,"  Folk-Lore  Record,  IV,  1-44:  "Schulz's 
opinion  that  the  English  romance  is  a  translation  or  a  close  imitation  of  a  twelfth- 


INTRODUCTION  9 

century  Breton  poem  is  probably  correct.  The  romance  represents  at  any 
rate  an  independent  and,  in  many  respects,  older  treatment  of  the  subject  than 
the  Mabinogi"  (ii). 

1888,  Nutt,  Alfred.  Studies  in  the  Legend  of  the  Holy  Grail,  etc.,  London: 
Nutt  restates  Steinbach's  view,  and  adds,  "The  use  of  Chrestien  by  the  author 
of  Sir  Perceval  seems,  however,  uncontestable:  and,  such  being  the  case,  Stein- 
bach's views  meet  the  difficulties  of  the  case  fairly  well"  (150). 

1891.  Nutt,  Alfred.  "Les  derniers  travaux  allemands  sur  la  legende  du 
Saint  Graal,"  Revue  Celtique;  same  art.,  Folk  Lore,  II,  Appendix:  "Mais  M. 
Golther  a-t-il  parfaitement  raison?  II  n'expose  nulle  part  sa  these  d'une 
fagon  claire,  mais  je  ne  crois  pas  aller  au  dela  de  sa  pensee  en  la  formulant  ainsi: 
Chrestien  a  le  premier  traite  le  sujet  de  la  quete  du  Graal  et  de  la  lance  qui 
saigne;  tout  ce  qui  a  ete  ecrit  depuis  releve  de  son  roman  inacheve  et  a  ete  ecrit 
dans  le  but  de  le  completer;  a  la  verite  il  avoue  avoir  puise  a  une  source  anteri- 
eure,  mais  cette  source  est  entierement  perdue  et  n'a  eu  aucune  influence  sur 

les  autres  ecrivains  du  cycle  [Folk  Lore,  p.  xxv] Je  n'ai  pu  que  me 

rencontrer  avec  des  erudits  distingues,  en  y  reconnaissant  des  traits  archaiques 
[  in  SP].  L'auteur,  on  le  sait,  laisse  absolument  de  cote  tout  ce  qui,  chez 
Chrestien,  se  rapporte  au  Graal.  La  faute  en  est  toujours,  d'apres  M.  Golther, 
aux  allures  enigma tiques  du  poete  frangais;  dans  le  doute,  le  traducteur  anglais 
s'est  abstenu.  Voila  une  reserve  dont  on  trouverait  difificilement  un  second 
exemple  chez  les  ecrivains  du  moyen  age.  Mais  lui  aussi  a  connu  non  seule- 
ment  Mennecier,  auquel,  d'apres  indication  formelle  de  M.  Golther,  il  a 
emprunte  la  fin  de  son  roman,  mais  aussi  Gerbert,  auquel,  ex  hypothesi,  il  a  du 
emprunter,  en  denaturant  etrangement,  I'episode  de  la  vieille  sorciere.  Lui 
done  aussi,  il  a  neglige  les  indications  formelles  de  ses  modeles  sur  la  nature  et 
la  provenance  du  Graal;  lui  qui  ex  hypothesi  Golther i  ecrivait  vers  1250  au  plus 
tot  (Gerbert  est  de  1 230-1 240),  a  ignore  I'immense  litterature  qui  existait  des 
lors  sur  Vhistoire  du  Graal"  (xxxiv). 

1895-96.  Kolbing,  E.  Vollmdllers  Jahresbericht,  etc.,  II,  42g:  "Wahrend 
W.  Golther  das  enghsche  Gedicht  unmittelbar  auf  Crestiens  Werk  zuruck- 
fiihren  will  und  es  als  eine  freie  Bearbeitung  des  Conte  del  Graal  und  einzelner 
Motive  aus  Werken  seiner  Fortsetzer  bezeichnet,  deren  eigene  Ziige  samtUch 
dem  Kopfe  des  Bearbeiters  entsprungen  seien,  erblickt  A.  Nutt  in  dieser 
Fassung  eine  Verquickung  von  Crestiens  Epos  allein  (ohne  die  Fortsetzungen) 
mit  keltischen  Sagen.  Ich  muss  gestehen,  dass  mir  vor  der  Hand  Nutts 
Ansicht  mehr  Wahrscheinlichkeit  fiir  sich  zu  haben  scheint." 

THIRD  group:    golther,  suchter-birch-hirschfeld,  and 

NEWELL 

1890.  Golther,  W.  Chrestiens  conte  del  graal  in  seinem  verhdltniss  zutn 
wdlschen  Peredur  und  zuni  englischen  Perceval.  Sitzungsberichte  der  philos- 
phil.  u.  hist.  Classe  der  Bayern  Akad.  d.  Wiss.  Munich,  II,  174-217:  "Dass  das 


lO  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

gedicht  [SP]  unter  dem  einfluss  Chrestiens  steht,  kann  nicht  bestritten  werden. 
Es  erhebt  sich  nur  die  frage,  wie  die  von  Chrestien  abweichenden  ziige  auf- 

zufassen  sind  (203) Das  englische  gedicht  ist  u.  e.  unmittelbar  auf 

Chrestiens  werk  zuriickzufiihren  so  gut  wie  das  mahinogi;  es  ist  eine  freie 
bearbeitung  des  conte  del  graal;  die  ihm  eigenen  ziige  entstammen  sammtlich 
dem  kopfe  des  bearbeiters  und  diirfen  nicht  fiir  die  erklarung  der  Perceval-sage 
irgendwie  beniitzt  werden,  fiir  welche  es,  als  aus  einer  bekannten  franzosischen 

vorlage  abgeleitet,   iiberhaupt  nicht  in  betracht  kommt   (207) Alle 

anderen  quellen  haben  fiir  diese  frage,  als  aus  Chrestien  abgeleitet,  gar  keine 
bedeutung.     Jeder  andere  standpunct  tragt  von  vornherein  unlosliche  wirren 

in  die  forschung  (213) Auf  den  ursprung  der  letzteren  [the  thoren- 

marchen  as  distinct  from  the  graalsage],  der  keineswegs  aufs  keltische  zuriick- 
gehen  muss,  will  ich  hier  nicht  eingehen,  nur  zum  schiuss  die  vermutung  aus- 
sprechen  dass  die  Percevalsage,  worunter  ich  die  verwendung  marchenhafter 
motive  verstehe,  in  ihrer  literarischen  form  ein  werk  Chrestiens  zu  sein  scheint. 
Denn  die  tatsache  ist  einmal  nicht  abzuleugnen,  dass  aUe  literarischen  denk- 
maler,  die  bis  jetzt  bekannt  sind,  auf  Chrestien  zuriickweisen,  und  keines  mit 
sicherheit  auf  eine  altere  quelle"  (213). 

1900.  Suchier,  Hermann,  und  Birch-Hirschfeld,  Adolf.  Geschichte  der 
franzosischen  Litteratur  von  den  dltesten  Zeiten  bis  zur  Gegenwari,  Leipzig  und 
Wien:  "Der  mittelenglische  'Perceval'  ist  nur  ein  verblasster  Ausfluss  aus 
Christian,"  etc.  (147). 

1 902 .  Newell,  William  Wells.  The  Legend  of  the  Holy  Grail  and  the  Perceval 
ofCrestien  of  Troyes,  Cambridge,  Mass.  (Newell  quotes  Golther's  opinion  with 
emphatic  approval.)  "This  curious  example  of  a  popular  rhymed  novelette 
[SP]  of  the  fourteenth  century  assuredly  can  boast  no  more  remote  antiquity. 
The  love  story  may  very  well  be  explained  as  made  up  under  the  influence  of 
suggestions  indirectly  obtained  from  the  extant  French  poem,  and  the  style 
and  proper  names  correspond  to  such  a  supposition.  A  lingering  remnant  of 
the  portion  of  Crestien's  story  relating  to  the  unasked  question  may  be  found 
in  the  untimely  reverie  of  the  hero.  That  the  knight  of  the  cup  should  be 
represented  as  the  slayer  of  Percevelle's  father  is  entirely  in  the  manner  of  a 
reconstructor;  that  the  vengeance  is  unintentional,  and  even  unknown,  shows 
that  the  feature  is  not  ancient.  A  considerable  number  of  verbal  coincidences 
attest  the  connection  with  the  French  verse,  which  is  further  made  clear  by 
the  proper  name  of  the  hero.  Sir  Percevelle  le  Galayse.  The  incidents  of  the 
German,  Welsh,  and  English  versions  of  the  story,  where  they  vary  from  the 
tale  of  Crestien,  also  disagree  with  each  other;  such  aberration,  according  to  the 
remarks  above  offered,  is  a  plain  indication  that  the  changes  must  be  considered 
as  due  only  to  the  fancy  of  the  several  recasters.  Minor  agreements  between 
traits  of  the  English  poem  and  those,  for  example,  mentioned  by  Wolfram, 
are  to  be  disregarded,  being  in  every  case  exphcable  as  due  to  a  common  inter- 
pretation of  the  data  of  the  French  original.  The  assumption  of  an  Anglo- 
Norman  romance  as  the  presumed  source  of  the  Enghsh  verse  (suggested  by 


INTRODUCTION 


II 


G.  Paris)  ought  not  to  be  considered  so  long  as  the  production  can  be  explained 
as  a  variation  founded  on  a  vera  causa,  on  the  celebrated  and  easily  accessible 
work  of  Crestien.     The  outlines  of  the  latter  composition  might  easily,  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  come  into  the  knowledge  of  a  popular  poet"  (82). 
These  opinions  may  be  tabulated  thus : 


SP  derived  from  C 

SP  influenced  by  C 

SP  independent  of  C 

1842. 
1842. 

1871. 
1880. 
1881. 
1883. 

1888. 

1891. 
1898. 

1906- 

San  Marte 

(A.  Schulz) 
De  la  Villemarque 

1844. 

HaUiwell 

(discredited) 

Gervinus 

Martin  ( ?) 

1881.     Nutt(?) 

Nutt  (?) 

Paris,  G. 

1885.     Steinbach 
1888.     Nutt 

Kaluza, 

1890. 

Golther 
Zimmer  (?) 

Paris,  G. 

1 89 1.     Nutt 
1895-6.     Kolbing 

Heinzel 

Wechssler 

1899. 
1900. 

1902. 

Foerster  (?) 
Suchier-Birch- 
Hirschfeld 
Newell 

9.     Weston 

No  scholar,  so  far  as  I  know,  believes  that  Crestien  invented  the 
materials  he  used  in  his  Perceval  poem.  But  some  students  con- 
tend that  it  is  impossible  for  us,  through  a  study  of  such  tales  as 
we  now  have,  to  arrive  at  any  definite  knowledge  concerning  those 
materials  as  they  were  before  Crestien  used  them,  and  that  Crestien' s 
poem  and  the  idiosyncrasies  of  later  writers  are  sufficient  to  account 
for  all  later  versions;  and  they  assert  (implicitly,  if  not  explicitly) 
that  only  documentary  evidence  of  a  date  prior  to  Crestien's  time 
can  be  held  sufficient  to  prove  any  version's  independence  of  the 
Frenchman's  Conte.  Other  scholars  hold  that  other  versions  of  the 
tale  bear  within  themselves  evidence,  if  not  proof,  that  they  have 
inherited  portions  of  the  source  materials  through  a  tradition  inde- 
pendent of  Crestien. 

Most  of  the  tales  (all  from  i  through  14  mentioned  above)  that 
I  intend  to  compare  have  been  studied  in  connection  with  the 
Perceval  tale  before.     I,  unhappy  that  I  am,  have  no  manuscript 


12  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

risen  from  the  dead  with  which  to  convince  unbeHevers.  It 
remained  for  me  to  see  if  a  more  minute  observation  of  the  facts 
and  a  new  marshaling  of  the  evidence  could  not  be  made  to  present 
that  proof  of  one  theory  or  another  which  has  hitherto  been  wanting. 

Since  the  matter  has  long  been  in  dispute,  it  is  evidently  not 
easy  to  prove  that  all  the  versions  are  based  on  Crestien's;  and 
since,  on  the  contrary,  no  single  version  has  been  proved  to  be 
independent  of  Crestien's,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  evidence  of 
any  one  version  can  be  of  any  value  in  an  effort  to  prove  the  inde- 
pendence of  any  other.  The  method  of  investigation  I  have 
adopted  is  one  that  I  learned  in  my  college  days  in  mathematics — 
the  method  of  demonstrating  the  falsity  of  a  hypothesis  by  assum- 
ing that  it  is  true  and  then  exposing  the  inadequacy  or  absurdity 
in  which  it  ends.  In  this  way  the  versions  are  made — ^and  that 
without  begging  the  question — to  furnish  evidence  concerning 
themselves. 

For  this  working  hypothesis  I  have  assumed  that  Crestien's 
poem  is  the  source  out  of  which  the  other  Perceval  romances  were 
evolved.  Upon  this  hypothesis,  it  is  patent  that  departures  from 
C  are  the  evidence  to  be  sought  especially,  not  agreements  with  it. 
And  departures  are  of  no  worth  unless  two  or  more  tales  agree  in 
making  the  same  departures.  In  this  search  I  soon  found  that 
summaries  could  not  be  omitted,  though  at  first  I  had  hoped  to 
avoid  printing  them  and  depend  upon  references  to  those  of  my 
predecessors.^  In  order  to  prepare  these  summaries  I  divided 
each  tale  into  incidents.  These,  of  course,  are  subdivisible  into 
items  and  points,  but  the  incident  has  been  my  unit.  In  present- 
ing my  study  I  have  followed  the  sequence  of  incidents  in  SP, 
The  incidents  occur  in  groups,  and  my  comparisons  have  proceeded 
according  to  these  groups. 

Five  such  groups,  apparently,  are  presented  in  SP,  and  I  have 
devoted  a  chapter  to  each  one.  At  the  beginning  of  each  chapter 
I  have  summarized  and  compared  SP  and  C,  and  stated  whatever 
conclusions  the  comparison  warranted;  next  I  have  brought  in 
any  other  tales  that  have  a  bearing,  summarizing,  comparing  them 

'  Cf.,  e.g.,  Birch-Hirschfeld,  Die  Sage  vom  Gral  (Leipzig,  1877);  A.  Nutt,  Stud.;  and  Miss 
J.  L.  Weston,  Leg.  of  SP. 


INTRODUCTION  1 3 

with  SP  and  C,  and  stating  my  conclusions.  To  make  my  meaning 
more  readily  intelligible,  I  have  recapitulated  by  means  of  tables. 
I  have  condensed  this  volume  as  much  as  possible.  I  am  aware 
that  as  a  consequence  some  of  my  paragraphs,  because  of  the  close- 
ness of  the  argument  and  the  number  of  abbreviations,  items,  and 
tables  used,  must  offer  some  trouble  to  the  reader;  but  I  trust  that 
this  trouble  and  the  arithmetical  look  of  some  of  the  pages  will  not 
annoy  him  overmuch.  My  plan  necessitates  the  presentation  of  a 
world  of  minutiae,  but  I  hope  it  will  not  fetch  the  reader  to  a  point 
where  he  cannot  see  the  forest  for  the  trees  (or  the  leaves  either). 
Condensation,  too,  has  deprived  me  of  certain  pleasures;  I  have 
avoided  the  Grail  problem  (since  SF  omits  the  Grail  entirely); 
I  have  made  no  effort  to  reconstruct  Kiot's  version;  I  have  not 
discussed  the  relation  of  Pd  to  C,  etc.,  etc.,  giving  room  only  here 
and  there  to  a  footnote/ 

'  Several  books  and  articles  have  appeared  since  this  study  was  made  ready  for  the 
printer. 

1910.  Williams,  Mary  Rh.  Essai  sur  la  composition  du  roman  Gallois  de  Peredur  (Paris; 
pp.  121).  This  I  have  read,  and  some  of  its  data  I  should  have  been  glad  to  incorporate. 
Miss  Williams  argues  for  Pd's  entire  independence  of  C,  but  the  matter  is  as  yet,  it  seems  to 
me,  far  from  being  settled  beyond  dispute. 

I  have  not  yet  had  access  to : 

1908.  MacNeill,  Eoin.  "Duanire  Finn,"  Irish  Texts  Society,  VII.  Texts  and  translation 
of  nimierous  metrical  Lays  of  Fionn. 

1908.  Golther,  W.     Parzival  und  der  Gral.     Munich. 

1909.  Baist,  G.     Parzival  und  der  Gral.     Freiburg. 
1909.  Lot,  F.     Bibl.  de  I'ecole  des  chartes,  LXX. 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  HERO'S   FOREST  REARING 

References  are  arranged  in  groups  on  the  basis  of  similarity  of  treatment. 

First  iNcroENT:  The  Father's  Marriage 
SP,  i-ioo;  W,  n,  1-1284.' 
Other  versions,  wanting. 

Second  Incident:  The  Father's  Death 

I.  SP,  101-60;  PC,  485-940;  W,  II,  1285-1598. 
II.  Pd,  244;  Fool,  160-61;  Card,  I,  i — VI,  4;  Een,  349. 
III.  C,  1607-82;    Ty,  1-56. 

Third  Incident:  The  Mother's  Flight 

I.  SP,  161-92;  PC,  941-1223;  W,  III,  24-59;  -P^j  244-45;  Fool,va.T.  b. 
II.  Card,  VI,  5— VIII,  3. 

III.  Fool,  161;  Een,  350. 

IV.  C,  1607-82. 

Ty  lacks  this  incident,  but  cf.  11.  57-64. 

Fourth  Incident:  The  Hero's  Boyish  Exploits 

I.  SP,  193-228;  W,  III,  60-126;  Pd,  245;  Card,  VIII,  4— XVI,  8;  Fool, 

161-62. 
II.  Ty,  65-88. 
III.  PC,  1124-82;  C,  1 283-13 13. 

The  portion  of  the  Perceval  legend  to  be  treated  in  this  chapter 
is  the  forest  life^  of  the  hero — its  causes,  stages,  and  results.  It 
appears  in  SP  as  four  incidents:  the  father's  marriage  tournament, 
his  death  tournament,  the  widow's  flight,  and  the  hero's  boyish 
exploits.     These  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

I.  King  Arthur  gave  his  sister  Acheflour  in  marriage  to  Percyvelle,  the 
most  honored  knight  at  court.  At  the  joust  in  honor  of  the  bridal  Percyvelle 
overthrew  all  the  knights  (including  the  Black  Knight)  who  opposed  him, 

'  In  W  there  are  two  marriages,  each  with  its  accompanying  tournament;  the  second  one 
is  discussed  here,  the  first  being  reserved  for  discussion  in  chap.  iv. 

'  After  the  Grail  part,  this  has  probably  been  the  part  of  the  legend  most  studied.  It 
has  furnished  the  bulk  of  the  evidence  in  the  strongest  argiunents  hitherto  offered  to  show  that 
the  tales  had  a  common  source  outside  of  C.  Nutt,  Hertz,  Schofield,  Miss  Weston,  all  have 
used  it;  Rajna,  Golther,  Newell,  and  others  have  stated  their  opinions  on  more  or  less  of  it. 
Hence  I  have  to  travel  over  a  much-trodden  field,  though  not,  I  hope,  without  adding  some- 
what to  the  gatherings  of  my  predecessors. 

14 


THE  HERO  S  FOREST  REARING  1 5 

breaking  sixty  shafts  that  day.  One  of  the  knights  overthrown  was  the  Red ' 
Knight,  who  in  anger  swore  he  would  be  revenged.  II.  Later,  when  Percy- 
velle's  son  was  born,  the  father  gave  him  his  own  name,  Perceval.  A  second 
joust  was  declared;  and  again  PercyveUe  vanquished  all  comers — until  the 
appearance  of  the  Red  Knight,  at  whose  hands  he  was  slain.  III.  The  widow, 
hoping  to  preserve  her  son's  life,  fled  with  him  to  a  wild  wood,  to  rear  him  where 
he  should  never  hear  of  tournaments  and  shoiild  have  only  beasts  to  play  with. 
She  took  with  her  only  a  maiden,  a  troop  of  goats,  and  of  her  lord's  possessions 
merely  a  Scotch  spear  [but  cf.  1.  410].  IV.  When  the  lad  grew  old  enough  to 
play  in  the  woods,  she  gave  him  the  spear,  and  told  him  in  reply  to  his  query 
that  it  was  a  doughty  dart  she  had  found  in  the  forest.  Perceval  slew  birds 
and  beasts,  and  brought  them  to  his  mother.  He  became  so  skilful  that  no 
beast  could  escape  him.  Thus  they  remained  for  fifteen  years,  the  mother 
keeping  her  son  as  ignorant  as  possible. 

Crestien  was  an  accomplished  writer,  and  instead  of  beginning 
his  account  with  any  such  family  history  he  chose  to  open  his  poem 
with  an  incident  which  would  capture  the  attention  of  his  romantic 
audience;  so  he  commenced  with  that  event^  in  the  hero's  life  which 
was  to  initiate  the  series  of  his  adventures,  his  chance  meeting 
with  a  group  of  knights  in  the  forest.^  The  only  passage  in  C 
that  treats  of  the  hero's  earlier  life  in  the  forest  or  of  how  he  came 
to  be  living  there  is  one  of  about  seventy-five  lines,  placed  in  the 
mouth  of  the  widow  when  Perceval  returns  home  and  tells  her  he 
has  seen  knights.  And  the  authenticity  of  this  passage  has 
been  disputed  (see  note  on  p.  25).     It  runs  thus: 

Tl  Perceval  could  boast  of  both  father  and  mother;  for  his  father  had  been 
an  excellent  knight,  and  his  mother  was  daughter  to  a  knight,  one  of  the  best 
in  the  country.  ^  But  all  the  knights  had  suffered  hardship  after  Uther 
Pendragon's  time;  Perceval's  father  was  wounded,  lost  his  estates,  and  fell 
into  poverty.  ^  For  safety  he  fled  into  this  forest  (where  he  had  a  house), 
being  borne  hither  on  a  litter  when  Perceval  was  scarcely  two  years  old.  Perce- 
val had  two  older  brothers,  and  when  it  happened  that  in  one  day  they  were 
both  slain,  the  father  died  of  grief.  ^  Since  then  the  widow  had  lived  on  with 
only  her  son  and  their  servants  in  this  remote  place  (1607-82). 

This  is  the  only  passage  in  C  that  gives  any  account  of  the 
father's  marriage,  or  of  his  death,  or  of  how  the  widow  came  to  be 

'  There  was,  to  be  sure,  a  conventional  prologue  of  the  sermonette  variety.  It  is  quoted  as 
some  sixty  lines  from  the  Montpelier  MS  by  Potvin,  II,  307-8. 

"  Potvin's  U.  1 283-1606;  this  is  matter  for  chap,  ii,  infra. 


1 6  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

living  in  the  solitary  forest.     If  C  was  the  source,  SP  has  introduced 
a  great  change. 

The  other  versions  are  next  to  be  examined  to  see  whether  they 
support  C  or  SP.     The  incidents  will  be  taken  seriatim. 

I.  The  tournament  at  the  father's  marriage  appears  in  only  one 
of  the  other  versions,  W.  The  German  tale,  however,  doubles 
the  incident,  the  father  (Gahmuret)  doing  battle  for  each  of  his 
two  wives.  The  first,  which  wins  Belakane  for  him  and  which 
provides  the  subject-matter  of  Book  I  of  W,  offers  little  resemblance 
to  this  part  of  SP;  but  it  is  much  like  a  later  part,  and  is  reserved 
for  discussion  in  chapter  IV,  infra.  The  second  battle,  fought  for 
Herzeloyde,  presents  several  similarities: 

Herzeloyde,  queen  of  "Waleis,"  appointed  a  great  tournament,  the  victor 
in  which  was  to  become  her  husband  and  king  of  her  states.  Gahmuret  arrived 
before  Kanvoleis  (the  capital  city)  and  found  the  plain  covered  with  the  tents 
of  many  kings  and  valiant  knights.  He  armed  himself  richly  and  entered  the 
tourney.  He  overthrew  many  knights,  among  them  four  kings,  and  wherever 
he  came  he  cleared  a  space  about  him ;  he  became  known  and  so  much  feared 
that  when  his  opponents  saw  him  coming  they  scattered,  crying,  "Flee!  flee!" 
One  opponent,  Lahelein,  became  disgusted  at  such  behavior  and  rode  in  anger 
against  him,  but  only  to  be  cast  a  spear's  length  out  of  the  saddle.  In  his 
half-day's  battle  Gahmuret  broke  a  hundred  spear  shafts.  And  none  dared 
meet  him.  He  and  Herzeloyde  were  married,  and  within  the  year  a  son — the 
hero — was  born  to  them. 

Shortly  before  this  tournament  Gahmuret's  brother,  Galoes,  had  been 
slain  by  Orilus,  brother  of  Lahelein;  cf.  Ill,  559-62. 

In  both  SP  and  W  the  father  fights  a  marriage  tournament,, 
and  proves  victor  over  all  comers.  The  wife  is  a  queen  or  sister 
to  a  king.  In  both  the  father  breaks  many  shafts.  In  both  he 
overthrows  a  powerful  knight  who  later  becomes  his  son's  enemy. 
In  both  he  is  brought  into  contact  with  still  another  knight  (Black 
Night = Tent  Lord  in  SP,  and  Orilus  =  Tent  Lord  in  W)  who  is 
later  to  play  an  important  part  in  the  life  of  his  son.  In  both  he 
has  a  son  born  to  him  within  a  year  from  this  tournament. 

II.  Of  the  second  incident,  the  father's  death,  the  circumstances 
are  related  at  length  in  SP,  PC,  and  W,  and  briefly  in  Pd,  Card, 
and  Fool. 


THE   hero's   EOREST  REARING  1 7 

PC. — The  father,  who  was  the  only  survivor  of  twelve  brothers,  heard  that 
the  King  of  Wales  was  to  give  a  tournament,  and,  despite  the  entreaties  of  his 
wife  and  his  folk,  gathered  his  followers  and  went.  At  first  he  won  great  fame, 
but  soon  he  was  mortally  wounded.  News  of  his  death  and  burial  was  brought 
to  his  wife  by  an  abbot. 

W. — The  father  learned  soon  after  his  marriage  that  his  former  friend  the 
Baruch  (Caliph)  was  beset  with  enemies.  He  went  to  his  aid,  and  was  absent 
half  a  year.  Then  he  was  slain  treacherously,  and  buried  in  Bagdad.  When 
the  news  was  brought  to  Herzeloyde,  she  fainted  and  would  have  died  but 
for  the  ministrations  of  an  old  man  who  was  present. 

To  Trevrizent  Parzival  says  his  father  lost  his  life  through  his  love  of 
jousting;    cf.   IX,   1256-59. 

Pd. — Evrawc,  Earl  of  the  North,  and  father  of  seven  sons,  maintained  him- 
self principally  by  tournaments.  "As  it  often  befalls  those  who  join  in 
encounters  and  wars,  he  was  slain,  and  six  of  his  sons  likewise." 

Card. — At  Arthur's  court  at  Camelot  lived  a  noble  knight,  whom  several 
knights  murdered  because  they  were  jealous  of  the  favors  shown  him  by  the 
King. 

Fool. — A  "ridere,"  who  was  father  of  several  children  and  a  brother  of  the 
King  of  Eirenn,  raised  a  revolt  against  the  King,  and  he  and  all  his  sons  were 
slain  in  battle.     (He  had  a  posthumous  son.)' 

Boyish  Exploits  of  Finn. — Cumhail,  Finn's  father,  was  slain  in  battle. 

Een. — Fionn's  father,  Cumhail,  could  be  slain  "only  with  his  own  sword, 
when  he  was  spoilt  with  drink,  and  love-making."  Black  Arcan  was  insti- 
gated to  slay  him  treacherously  while  he  slept  with  the  daughter  of  the  King 
of  Lochlann. 

'  The  Hero's  Father:  Name. — No  two  versions  use  the  same  name.  Four  state  the  name 
at  the  outset:  SP,  Percyvelle;  PC,  Bliocadrans  (570,  etc.);  W,  Gahmuret;  Pd,  Evrawc.  A 
fifth  states  it  later  in  the  tale:  Card,  Dondinello  (XXVII).  Three,  Ty,  Fool,  and  C,  mention 
no  name. 

Gahmuret  is  successor  to  the  kingdom  of  Anjou  after  the  death  of  Galoes,  his  brother. 
With  "Gahmuret"  cf.  "roi  Ban  de  Gomeret"  in  C,  1661  ("disputed  passage")  and  "Gomeret" 
in  index  of  Prose-Tristan.  Wolfram  makes  little  attempt  to  connect  Parzival  himself  with 
Anjou;  the  hero  first  speaks  of  Anjou  as  belonging  to  him  in  the  battle  with  Feirefiz  (XV,  361  ff.). 

Gerbert  gives  the  name  "  Gales  li  Caus"  to  the  father  of  Perceval;  "  Gales  11  Chaus"  occurs 
in  Erec,  1726;   Bel  Inconnu,  Hippeau's  ed.,  41,  has  "Gales  H  Cauf"  (?  =  Caus). 

Time. — SP  and  Card  place  the  father  in  the  time  of  King  Arthur;  C  and  W,  in  that  of 
Uther  Pendragon;  PC,  in  that  of  a  "king  of  Wales";  Fool,  in  that  of  a  "king  of  Eirenn"; 
two  versions  are  silent. 

Kin. — (a)  Brothers:  SP,  W,  and  Fool  agree  that  the  father  had  one  brother;  PC  gives 
him  eleven ;  others  are  silent.  (Perlesvaus  gives  him  a  brother,  EUnant  of  Escavalon,  who  in 
his  turn  has  a  son,  Alein.)  (b)  Wife:  SP  and  W  describe  his  marriage  at  length;  others  are 
silent.  In  W  the  tournament  celebrating  the  marriage  occurred  in  "Waleis";  in  SP  it  was 
probably  understood  to  occur  in  Wales,  (c)  Sons:  SP,  PC,  and  Ty  state  positively  that  he 
had  only  one  child;  Card  implies  the  same;  IF  gives  him  an  older  son  (Feirefiz)  by  his  heathen 
wife  Belakane,  but  only  one  by  Herzeloyde;  Pd,  Fool,  and  C  give  him  others  besides  the  one 
son,  though  they  are  slain  in  combat  while  the  hero  is  a  babe,     (d)  No  daughter  is  given  to  the 


1 8  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

All  these  versions  are  agreed  upon  three  large  elements:  (i) 
the  father  was  a  rich  and  vigorous  knight  of  high  rank,  (2)  who, 
at  about  the  time  of  the  birth  of  a  son,  (3)  was  slain  because  of  his 
devotion  to  arms. 

Still  other  agreements  may  be  pointed  out  between  the  three 
versions  that  make  much  of  the  father's  life.  The  following 
paragraph,  quoted  from  the  Legend  of  Sir  Perceval  (I,  72),  gives 
Miss  Weston's  summary  of  the  agreements  between  PC  and  W: 

"In  both  versions  the  devotion  of  the  father  to  warlike  exercises  is  insisted 
upon.  In  both  he  is  overcome  with  grief  at  the  death  in  tourney  of  a  brother 
or  brothers,  which  death  leaves  him  the  sole  surviving  member  of  his  family. 
In  both  he  is  svunmoned  from  home,  shortly  before  the  birth  of  his  first 
child,  to  attend  a  tourney;  in  both  is  there  slain,  and  buried  away  from  home 
with  great  honours.  In  both  versions  an  old  man  plays  an  important  role 
at  the  moment  of  breaking  the  news  to  the  widow;  in  fact,  the  version  of  the 
Parzival  where  the  presence  of  mind  of  this  personage  saves  the  life  of  the 
Queen,  whom  her  maidens  would  have  allowed  to  die  in  her  swoon,  requires 
the  explanation  of  the  'Bliocadrans^  [  =  PC],  where  he  has  been  sent  for  to  break 
the  tidings,  otherwise  what  is  he  doing  in  the  Queen's  private  apartments?" 

SP  agrees  with  PC  upon  a  number  of  points.  The  father  had 
not  long  been  married.  He  had  only  one  child.  At  the  time 
of  the  birth  of  this  son  he  took  part  in  a  tournament,  in  which  he 
was  slain,  after  he  had  fought  valiantly.  And  his  burial  is 
mentioned. 

father  in  these  versions,  but  in  several  a  foster-sister  to  Perceval  is  mentioned,  (e)  The  hero's 
birth:  at  the  time  of  the  father's  death  the  hero  was  in  SP,  PC,  and  Ty  only  a  few  days  old; 
in  W  to  be  born  later,  two  weeks  after  the  mother  hears  of  the  father's  death;  in  Fool  yet  to  be 
born;  in  Card  nine  months  old;  in  C,  disputed  passage  (1607-1682),  over  (how  much  is  uncer- 
tain) two  years  old;  in  Pd  "too  young  to  go  to  wars."  (In  Perlesvaus  and  Didot-P  the  father 
did  not  die  until  after  Perceval  had  left  home.) 

The  Prose-Tristan  knew  C,  but  drew  upon  another  source  for  Perceval's  family  history. 
Pelinor,  the  father,  slew  King  Loth,  the  father  of  Gauvain.  In  revenge  Gauvain  and  his  broth- 
ers slew  PeUnor.  The  names  and  number  of  PeUnor's  sons  vary.  §  250  (p.  i6g)  gives  four — 
Tor,  Agloval,  Doryan,  and  Lamorat;  §  150  (p.  114)  gives  Driant  (for  Doryan),  the  common 
form;  §  217  (p.  156)  speaks  of  "Alain,  the  brother  of  Driant";  §215  (p.  155)  has  "Tor,  son 
of  Ares,  son  of  Pellynor."  Gauvain,  Mordret,  and  Agravain,  passing  through  a  forest,  encounter 
and  slay  Driant  and  Lamorat — two  of  Pelinor's  four  (or  more)  sons,  pp.  237-38.  Gaheriet 
tells  Gauvain  (his  brother)  that  Perceval  looks  well  able  to  avenge  the  deaths  of  Pelinor, 
Lamorat,  and  Driant. 

Morten  appears  to  spring  from  a  version  akin  to  both  the  Prose-Tristan  account  and  the 
disputed  passage  in  C.     (Cf.  Miss  Weston's  translation  of  Morien,  pp.  116  S.) 

The  similarity  between  the  Prose-Tristan  and  the  Card  accounts  is  evident. 


THE  HERO  S  FOREST  REARING  1 9 

The  points  upon  which  SP  agrees  with  W  are  more  numerous 
and  more  significant.  The  father  fights  in  two  tournaments,  which 
are  described.  His  wife  is  a  queen  or  a  king's  sister.  He  has  by 
this  marriage  a  single  child.  He  has  one  brother.  In  this  tourna- 
ment he  makes  an  enemy  who  is  later  to  do  battle  against  his  son. 
His  burial  is  mentioned. 

Four  versions — SP,  W,  Card,  and  Fool — present  a  revenge 
motive;  and  the  first  three  show  a  cycle  of  interesting  events  that 
look  like  reminiscences  of  older  and  more  closely  related  forms. 

Observe  the  parts  played  by  the  Red  Knight  and  the  Tent  Lord : 
(a)  In  SP  the  father  overthrows  the  Red  Knight  and  the  Black 
Knight  (Tent  Lord)  at  the  marriage  tournament;  afterward  the 
Red  Knight  slays  the  father;  later  the  hero  slays  the  Red  Knight 
and  overthrows  the  Black  Knight,  (b)  In  W  the  father  overthrows 
Lahelein  at  the  marriage  tournament;  later  Lahelein  conquers  two 
kingdoms  which  the  hero  should  have  inherited;  Lahelein's  brother 
is  Orilus,  the  Tent  Lord;  Orilus  has  slain  Galoes,  the  father's 
brother;  the  hero  overthrows  Orilus.  Near  the  time  of  the  mar- 
riage tournament  the  father  met  Ither  (the  Red  Knight)  at  Seville 
(IX,  1963  ff.),  but  as  a  friend.  (See  a  comment  in  the  Conclusion, 
p.  126,  infra.) 

Note  the  place,  too,  of  Gawain:  (a)  In  Card  the  father  is  slain 
by  Mordarette  (Mordret,  the  brother  of  Gawain)  and  his  brothers; 
the  hero,  after  he  has  rescued  the  Bespelled  Lady,  wishes  to  revenge 
his  father's  death,  but  King  Arthur  makes  peace  between  him  and 
his  enemy,  Gawain.^  (b)  In  SP  while  the  hero  is  in  the  midst  of 
rescuing  the  Besieged  Lady,  and  in  W  after  he  has  rescued  her, 
he  meets  Gawain  and  does  battle  with  him  (neither  friend  recog- 
nizing the  other),  though  little  comes  of  it;  in  SP  the  battle  is 
fought  in  the  presence  of  King  Arthur ;  in  W  Arthur  is  not  far  away, 
and  the  friends  go  from  the  battle  to  his  tent. 

Revenge  is  prominently  mentioned — in  SP  by  King  Arthur  (561- 
68),  in  W  (III,  359-66)  by  the  mother,  in  Card  in  several  places. 

Everywhere  there  is  a  tendency  to  bring  the  hero  into  relation- 
ship with  the  king.     In  Fool  the  father  was  brother  to  the  King 

■  Card  is,  of  course,  not  alone  in  making  the  hero  (equating  Carduino  with  Perceval)  and 
Gawain  enemies;  of.  supra,  p.  i8,  note,  and  Malory's  account. 


20  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

of  Eirinn.  But  when  the  king  was  thought  of  as  King  Arthur, 
some  other  arrangement  had  to  be  made,  for  tradition  provided 
him  with  no  available  brother.  W  presents  the  father  as  brother 
to  the  King  of  Anjou  and  sixth  cousin  to  King  Arthur.  SP  says 
the  mother  was  sister  to  King  Arthur.  The  Grail  gr6up  (C,  W, 
"  continuators ")  and  Pd  make  the  mother  the  daughter  or  the 
sister  of  the  Grail  King  or  his  equivalent.* 

To  recapitulate  for  incident  II:  six  versions,  though  they  vary 
much,  yet  show  such  significant  agreements  as  to  render  it  nearly 
indubitable  that  they  had  a  common  ancestor;  cf.  the  high  stand- 
ing of  the  father,  his  death  in  joust  or  by  the  treachery  of  a  knight, 
the  survival  of  one  son,  the  mother's  behavior  at  the  father's  death, 
the  presence  of  future  actors  in  the  tale  at  or  near  the  time  of  the 
father's  death,  and  the  feud  inherited  by  the  son. 

III.  The  third  incident,  the  flight  of  the  widow,  is  one  of  the 
most  widely  current  of  all  the  incidents  in  the  Perceval  tale. 
Instead  of  summarizing*  each  version,  we  may  state  the  main 
points  upon  which  they  agree. 

Five  versions — SP,  PC,  W,  Pd,  and  Card — relate  how:  [after 
(i)  a  rich  and  vigorous  knight  of  high  rank,  (2)  at  about  the  time 

'  The  following  details  concerning  the  widow  and  her  flight  may  be  noted: 
The  Hero's  Mother:  Name. — Only  two  of  the  seven  versions  give  the  name:  SP,  Ache- 
flour;  W,  Herzeloyde.  Rhys  says:  "Now  Herzeloyde  is  clearly  nothing  but  the  Welsh  word 
arglwydes,  'lady,  domina,'  appUed  to  her  in  the  Welsh  original,  drawn  upon  by  some  one  of 
Wolfram's  French  predecessors  in  the  treatment  of  the  story." — Artk.  Leg.,  p.  123.  Golther 
{op.  cit.,  206,  note)  considers  "Acheflour"  a  garbUng  of  C's  "Blancheflour." 

Ra7ik. — In  SP  the  mother  is  sister  to  King  Arthur;  in  W,  queen  of  two  kingdoms,  Waleis 
and  Norgales;  in  Pd,  a  countess;  in  Card  the  hero  once  said  that  the  mother  was  "of  the  com- 
mon people,"  but  he  was  probably  misled  into  that  statement;  in  PC  and  Fool  she  is  spoken  of 
vaguely;  in  C — disputed  passage — she  is  daughter  of  "one  of  the  best  knights  of  the  country" 
(but  see  next  paragraph). 

Kin. — Ty,  Card,  and  Fool  are  silent;  PC  is  vague;  in  three  versions  she  is  sister  to  a  king — 

in  SP  to  King  Arthur  and  in  C  and  W  to  the  Grail  King  (and  to  the  Hermit  also) ;  in  Pd  she 

is  sister  to  a  nobleman  who  is  the  equivalent  of' the  Grail  King.     In  two  versions  the  mother  has 

sister:   in  SP  the  mother  of  Gawain;   in  W  the  mother  of  Sigune.     In  the  legend  of  the 

Grail  the  mother's  relationship  is  important,  and  in  some  tales  is  considerably  expanded. 

The  Flight:  Two  variants  could  easily  arise:  the  story-teller  could  have  the  mother  flee 
in  haste  and  go  from  plenty  to  poverty;  or,  remembering  her  station,  he  could  have  her  plan 
leisurely  and  go  with  retinue  and  rich  stores. 

Provisions. — (a)  In  SP  (but  cf.  4og-io)  and  Pd  she  took  a  flock  of  goats.  (6)  In  PC  she 
took  silver  and  gold,  over  one  hundred  cars  and  chariots,  much  wheat  and  oats,  beeves  and 
cows,  horses  and  sheep;  in  Card,  precious  stones,  pearls,  and  rich  provisions,  (c)  W  is 
silent;   in  Fool  the  mother  arranges  to  provide  for  the  foster-mother  and  the  boys;   in  Fool, 


THE  hero's   forest  REARING  21 

of  the  birth  of  a  son,  (3)  had  been  slain  tJirough  his  devotion  to 
arms]  (4)  his  widow  (the  hero's  mother)  feared  she  might  lose  her 
only  (living)  son  (5)  if  he  should  learn  of  arms  and  knightly  deeds, 
(6)  and  so  she  determined  to  rear  the  lad  in  ignorance;  (7)  to 
accomplish  this  design,  she  fled  (8)  to  a  forest  far  from  civiliza- 
tion, (9)  accompanied  (a)  by  her  son  alone  or  (b)  by  her  son  and 
a  small  number  of  household  attendants.  A  sixth  version.  Fool 
(Een  agreeing),  is  a  variant  of  the  story  underlying  the  five  versions: 
the  widow,  instead  of  going  herself,  sent  her  kitchen  wench  with  the 
babe  to  a  forest,  where  she  supported  them;  mother  and  son  seem 
never  to  have  met  again:  but  in  Fool,  var.  6,  the  widow  goes  with 
her  son  alone  to  the  forest.'  The  same  story,  then,  appears  in 
six  versions. 

These  agreements  are  too  numerous  and  too  detailed  to  have 
been  the  result  of  accident. 

var.  6,  she  goes  herself  in  poverty;  C  is  non-committal,  but  the  father  had  previously  fallen 
into  "great  poverty"  (disputed  passage). 

Dwelling-place. — In  SP,  a  "wood"- — indefinite,  the  home  beside  a  "well"  (11.  6-7);  Card, 
in  a  forest,  the  most  hidden  place,  a  glen;  Pd,  a  desert  and  unfrequented  wilderness;  {Ty,  a 
forest,  ten  leagues  from  any  mansion);  W,  a  waste  in  Soltane  (of.  C,  1289,  "gaste  forest  sou- 
taine");  Fool,  a  forest  within  walking  distance  of  a  town;  PC,  the  mother  says  she  is  going 
to  visit  the  shrine  of  Saint  Brandain  d'Escoce  (1035,  1071),  passes  by  a  castle  on  the  "mer  de 
Gale,"  and  goes  twelve  days'  journey  into  a  wood  to  the  "gaste  forest";  C,  a  "manoir"  belong- 
ing to  the  father,  in  this  "foriest  gaste,"  skirting  Valdone  (1507-10)  and  less  than  four  days' 
journey  from  Carduel  (1547-51).  In  SP,  W,  and  Pd,  no  house  is  mentioned;  in  Card  the 
mother  built  a  cabin  of  boughs;  in  Fool  there  is  a  "bothy";  in  PC  nine  men  spend  fifteen  days 
building  a  house;   in  C  there  is  a  dwelling  that  had  been  built  in  former  days. 

Allendants. — In  Card  and  Fool,  var.  b  (and  Ty),  the  mother  is  alone  with  her  son  in  the 
forest;  in  SP  she  has  a  maiden  only;  in  Fool  the  kitchen  wench  has  her  son  with  her  (but  cf. 
var.  h);  in  W,  laborers  to  support  them,  and  Sigune  (?);  in  PC,  the  mother's  major-domo  and 
his  eight  sons  and  four  daughters  (on  the  number  twelve  in  PC,  cf.  Miss  Weston,  Leg.  of  SP, 
I,  66  ff.);  in  C  (disputed  passage)  the  father  and  mother  are  accompanied  by  two  older  sons, 
servants  to  carry  the  father's  Utter,  plowmen,  etc.,  and  perhaps  Perceval's  germaine  cosine. 

'  The  Amadan  Mar  and  the  Cruagach  of  the  Castle  of  Gold. — The  widow  fled  to  the  forest, 
and  her  son,  the  Fool,  was  bom  there.  (The  earlier  incidents  are  not  so  greatly  Uke  the  prose 
introduction  to  Campbell's  Fool,  but  the  enchantment  part  of  this  tale  is  much  the  same  as 
Campbell's  verse.) 

Toward  the  end,  the  Gruagach  assures  the  Fool:  "I  am  your  own  brother  born  and  bred"; 
and  then  the  two  go  to  attack  four  giants.     End. — J.  Curtin,  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland,  140-62, 

Boyish  Exploits  of  Finn. — Cumhail's  wife  gave  birth  to  Finn,  whom  two  heroines  (for 
nurses)  took  away  to  rear  in  a  forest.  (The  remaining  exploits,  with  one  exception,  are  not 
of  service  to  us.) — "The  Boyish  Exploits  of  Finn  MacCumhail"  in  Transactions  of  the  Ossianic 
Society,  Dublin,   1859. 

Een. — Cumhail's  widow  bore  twins,  a  daughter  and  a  son.  On  the  night  they  were  born, 
the  muime  (nurse)  of  the  son  fled  with  him  to  a  desert  place,  where  she  reared  him  till  he  was 
a  stalwart,  goodly  child.     (The  remaining  adventures  are  of  no  service  to  us.) 


22  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

IV.  The  fourth  incident  is  the  account  of  the  hero's  boyish 
exploits.  Before  leaving  his  forest  home,  the  youth  demonstrates 
his  strength  and  agility  in  several  ways.  Four  versions — SP,  W,  Pd, 
and  Car^— stand  fairly  close  together ;  Fool  agrees  as  far  as  it  goes ; 
and  Ty  leans  in  their  direction.     PC  and  C  are  pretty  far  removed. 

SP. — The  mother  gave  her  son  a  spear^  that  had  belonged  to  his  father, 
telling  him  she  had  found  it.  With  it  he  shot  birds,  harts,  and  hinds,  and 
brought  them  to  his  mother.     No  beast  might  escape  him. 

W. — Parzival  made  a  bow  and  arrows  for  himself,  and  shot  at  birds  with 
them.  Distressed  when  one  fell  slain,  he  questioned  his  mother  about  it,  and 
she  taught  him  of  God.  He  returned  to  the  woods  to  hunt,  and  became  so 
skilled  at  throwing  a  dart  {gabyldi,  source  unexplained)  that  no  beast  could 
escape  him.  Many  a  hart,  heavy  enough  for  a  mule's  burden,  he  shouldered 
home. 

Pd. — No  one  brought  horses  or  arms  near  Peredur,  lest  he  should  desire 
them.  He  diverted  himself,  throwing  sticks  and  stones  in  the  forest.  One 
day  he  saw  two  hinds  standing  near  his  mother's  flock  of  goats.^  By  his 
swiftness  he  drove  them  into  the  goat  house,  and  called  his  mother  and  her 
attendants  to  see.     They  marveled  at  his  prowess. 

Card. — Carduino,  wandering  in  the  forest  one  day,  found  two  hunting 
spears  that  hunters  had  left.  To  his  questions  the  mother  replied  they  were 
darts  that  God  had  sent  him;  and  she  taught  him  their  use.  After  that  he 
hunted,  and  no  beast  was  able  to  escape  him.  He  and  his  mother  ate  the 
flesh  and  used  the  skins  for  clothing. 

Fool. — The  Fool,  walking  in  the  woods  with  his  foster-brother  one  day, 
saw  some  deer,  and  was  told  that  they  were  creatures  upon  which  were  food 
and  clothing.  By  running,  he  overtook  three,  and  brought  them  to  his  foster- 
mother.     Shortly  afterward  he  outran  a  horse. 

Boyish  Exploits  of  Finn. — Finn  and  the  two  heroines  (his  nurses)  walking 
in  Sleeve  Bloom  one  day  saw  a  herd  of  wild  deer.  The  heroines  said  they 
wished  they  could  detain  them.  Finn  ran,  caught  two  bucks,  and  brought 
them  to  the  hunting  booth  (hut).     After  that  he  hunted  constantly  (p.  297). 

Ty. — While  Tyolet  was  very  young,  a  fairy^  gave  him  magic  power  in 
whistling,  by  which  he  was  able  to  overtake  and  slay  any  beast  whatsoever. 

Certain  other  items  that  occur  as  parts  of  incidents  later  in  the 
tales  may  be  grouped  here.  The  hero  outran  a  tame  horse  in  SP 
(713  ff.)  and  Card  (XVIII);   and  a  wild  horse  in  SP  (325  ff.)  and 

'This  spear  is  (by  a  misreading  of  "schorte"?  cf.  1.  478)  called  a  "Scottes"  spear;  cf. 
Scotch  connections  in  chap,  iv,  infra,  pp.  go  ff. 

'  SP  and  Pd  agree  in  saying  the  mother  was  provided  with  a  flock  of  goats.  Cf .  Cuchulain's 
feat,  and  Rhys,  Arth.  Leg.,  75  5. 

'  With  the  introduction  of  the  fay  into  Ty  cf.  W,  I,  1655-70;  II,  1134-36. 


THE  HERO  S  FOREST  REARING  23 

Fool  {162).  He  outran  deer  in  T^oo/ (161)  and  PcJ  (245).  He  showed 
his  strength  by  carrying  home  heavy  animals  in  SP  and  W,  by 
lifting  an  armed  man  out  of  the  saddle  and  carrying  him  in  W 
(V,  1244  ff.),  by  lifting  a  woman  on  the  point  of  his  spear  and  carry- 
ing her  in  SP  (859-60),  and  by  carrying  his  mother  on  his  shoulder 
a  long  distance  in  SP  (2235)/ 

In  all  versions  the  hero  is  simple  and  ignorant,^  but  quick  to 
learn.  In  SP  his  mother  would  teach  him  "neither  nurture  nor 
lore";  in  Pd  he  did  not  know  the  difference  between  goats  and 
hinds;  in  Card,  having  never  seen  a  man,  he  thought  there  were 
no  other  things  but  the  beasts  about  him;  in  PC  the  mother  told 
him  that  he  had  no  home  but  this,  and  "since  he  had  very  little 
sense,"  he  beheved  her;^  in  Fool,  cf.  the  title;  in  C  and  W  no 
statement  is  made  here,  but  he  is  called  "foolish"  passim;  in  Ty, 
no  statement.'' 

C  nowhere  makes  place  for  a  direct  treatment  of  the  Boyish 
Exploits.  Consequently,  as  against  the  comparative  fulness  of 
detail  in  the  other  versions,  C  shows  meagerness.  The  few  items 
that  the  French  poem  does  give  are  generally  not  stated  in  direct 
narrative,  but  appear  incidentally  in  conversation  or  are  wrought, 
indirectly  and  subordinately,  into  the  presentation  of  other  details. 
The  hero  had  a  horse  and  he  knew  how  to  ride  from^  the  beginning 
(1291-92,  1306,  etc.);  he  had  three  javelins  (1293,  ^^c. — source 
unexplained);    and  he  slew^  birds  and  beasts  (1416-17),  and  does 

'  Cf.  also  Gerbert  {The  Library,  88);  and  W,  III,  1254-56. 

'  Folk-tales  are  fond  of  the  apparently  simple  but  really  wise  young  hero;  examples  need  not 
be  multiplied.  Campbell  (Tales,  III,  96-97)  mentions  "Smoroie  Mor,  or  as  others  have  it, 
Sir  Moroie  Mor,  'a  son  of  King  Arthur,'  of  whom  great  and  strange  things  are  told  in  Irish 

tradition He  was  called  to  his  by-name,  The  fool  of  the  Forest."  ....  He  refers  here 

also  to  Fool  and  to  Canal  (not  Conall  Gulban). 

'  In  PC  the  mother  says  they  are  the  only  people  in  the  world,  but  the  presence  of  the 
major-domo  and  his  twelve  children  (and  their  servants?)  is  known,  and  might  reasonably  be 
expected  to  raise  a  question  in  Perceval's  mind.  Cf.  Miss  Weston's  argument  that  here  the 
author  of  PC  is  unskilfully  using  older  material  (in  which  mother  and  son  were  really  alone). 
Leg.  oS  SP.,  I,  86  ff. 

'  C,  IF,  and  Ty  tend  to  minimize  the  foolishness  of  the  hero. 

*  PC  agrees;  in  all  other  versions  he  thought  of  riding  only  after  he  had  learned  of  knight- 
hood.    Cf.  p.  zi. 

'  The  abihty  to  provide  food  for  his  mother  is  certainly  insinuated  in  C  but  it  is  plainly 
asserted  in  SP,  W,  Card,  Ty,  and  Fool;  and  one  might  have  expected,  a  priori,  that  W,  which 
like  C  and  PC  makes  much  of  the  household  servants,  the  plowing,  etc.,  would  have  omitted 
this  point,  just  as  PC  does. 


24 


SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 


and  stags  (1486-88).  Other  references  to  his  agility  and  strength 
are  wanting.  PC  presents  nothing  here  that  could  not  easily  have 
been  drawn  from  C. 

The  main  points  of  evidence  for  the  four  incidents  may  be 
arranged  in  a  table: 


The  father  is  named  early  (but  in  no 
two  tales  alike) 

He  lived  in  the  time  of  King  Ar- 
thur  

or  of  Uther  Pendragon 

He  was  a  favored  knight  at  court .  .  . 

He  had  only  one  brother 

(a)  who  was  a  king 

or  he  was  one   of   several   broth- 


ers. 


10. 
II. 
12. 

13- 

14. 

15- 
16. 

17- 
18. 

19. 

20, 

21. 
22. 


He  was  overcome  by  grief  at  the 
death  of  his  brother(s)  in 
tourney 

He  was  sole  survivor  of  his  family .  .  . 

He  was  vigorous,  and  devoted  to 
warlike  exercises 

He  left  home  to  go  to  tourneys 

He  fought  in  two  tourneys,  which 
are  described 


He  fought  a  marriage  tournament, 
overthrowing  all  comers 

A  vanquished  knight  became  his 
son's  enemy 

Another  knight  (Tent  Lord) 
played  a  part  in  his  life  and 
later  in  his  son's  life 

His  wife  was  a  royal  lady 


II 


Within  a  year  a  son  was  born  to 
him 

Who  was  his  wife's  only  son 

And  his  only  son 

or  he  had  more  than  one  son 

At  time  of  son's  birth  father  en- 
tered tourney(s) 

He  was  slain  in  tournament 

or  treacherously 

or  in  battle 

He  was  slain  at  time  of  son's  birth .  . 

or  before  the  son  was  bom 

He  was  slain  away  from  home 

His  burial  is  mentioned 

An  old  man  assists  the  widow 


SP 
SP 


SP 
SP 


SP 
SP 

SP 
SP 


SP 
SP 


SP 
SP 
SP 


SP 
SP 


SP 


SP 


W 


W 

\¥ 
W 


W 
W 

W 
W 

w 


w 
w 


w 
w 


w 
w 

w 

w 

w 


w 
w 

w 
w 


PC 


PC 


PC 
PC 

PC 
PC 


PC 
PC 


PC 
PC 


PC 

PC 
PC 
PC 


Pd 


Pd 
Pd 


Pd 
Pd 

Pd 


Card 
Card 


Card 
Card 


Card 
(Card?) 


Fool 
Fool 


Fool 


Fool 
{Fool) 

Fool 

Fool 
(Fool?) 


THE  HERO  S  FOREST  REARING 


25 


23.  A   revenge   motif  is  brought  into 

the  tale 

24.  But  the  revenge  is  absorbed  into 

another  incident   and   slurred 
over 

Ill 

25.  The  widow  fears  her  son  will  be 

slain 

26.  To  prevent  his  death  he  must  be 

reared  in  a  forest  far  from  men . 

27.  Where    he    may    never    hear    of 

knightly  life 

28.  So  she  determines  to  flee  with  him 

or  to  send  him  with  a  servant 

29.  She  flees  with  few  or  no  servants .  .  . 
or  with  rich  stores  of  provisions .  .  .  . 

IV 

30.  The    son    becomes    vigorous,    and 

shows : 
(o)  Expertness,   by   slaying   birds, 
deer,  etc 

(b)  Agihty,  by  outrunning  deer 

wild  horses 

tame  horses 

(c)  Strength,  by  carrying  carcasses 
himian  beings 


SP 
SP 

SP 

SP 

SP 
SP 

SP 


SP 

SP 
SP 
SP 
SP 


w 
w 

w 

w 

w 
w 

w 


w 


w 
w 


PC 

PC 

PC 
PC 

PC 


Pd 

Pd 

Pd 
Pd 


Pd 


Card 
Card 

Card 

Card 

Card 
Card 


Card 
(Card) 


Card 


Card 
{Card) 


{Fool?) 
{Fool) 

Fool 
Fool 


\   Fool 

I  var.6 

Fool 

{Fool) 


Fool 
Fool 

Fool 


(C) 
(C) 

c 


From  the  evidence  presented  the  argument  may  be  stated 
succinctly  as  follows: 

The  marriage  tournament  occurs  only  in  SP  and  W.  C,  then, 
cannot  be  the  source  of  it.  SP  and  W  are  not  so  much  alike  as 
to  appear  to  have  an  immediate  common  source,  but  they  have 
certain  significant  common  possessions  that  lead  us  to  suspect 
that  they  had  somewhere  more  remotely  an  ancestor  in  common. 

For  the  next  two  incidents — the  father's  death  and  the  widow's 
flight — the  six  versions,  SP,  W,  PC,  Pd,  Card,  and  Fool,  show  so 
many  strains  in  common  that  they  must  revert  to  a  common 
ancestor.  But  C  is  so  considerably  different  that  it  cannot  have 
been  that  ancestor:  i.e.,  the  passage  summarized  (C,  1607-82) 
cannot  have  been.  The  passage  stands  so  much  alone  in  the 
tradition  th^t  its  authenticity  has  been  disputed.*     If  the  lines  are 

'It  may  be  designated  the  "disputed  passage."  Though  it  bears  some  resemblance  to 
the  Prose-Tristan  account  (see  p.  i8,  note),  and  perhaps  is  all  the  more  to  be  suspected  there- 
fore, it  differs  so  far  from  all  other  accounts  of  the  father  and  of  the  mother's  flight  that  one  stu- 


26  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

not  by  Crestien,  they  do  not  weaken  any  part  of  my  argument. 
If  they  are  by  Crestien,  they  greatly  strengthen  it.  If  we  omit  the 
disputed  passage  from  consideration  for  a  moment,  the  remainder 
of  C  yields  to  a  close  scrutiny  the  following  hints  to  serve  as  a  basis 
for  an  account — and  most  of  these  are  presented  in  conversation  or 
as  mere  accessories  to  other  details:  (a)  the  mother  was  a  widow 
(1288),  (b)  and  she  dwelt  in  a  waste,  sohtary  forest  (1289  £f.); 
(c)  among  her  attendants  were  farm  laborers  (1512  ff.),  (d)  and 
perhaps  Perceval's  foster  cousin  {W's  Sigune)  (4774-75);  {e)  the 
mother  wished  to  hide  her  son  from  people  (1532  ff.);  (/)  and  she 
wished  to  hide  from  him  any  knowledge  of  knighthood  (1532,  1602 
ff.).  How  far  an  account  may  incorporate  these  hints  and  yet  be 
unUke  the  other  versions  is  shown  by  the  disputed  passage. 

dent  at  least  who  held  that  C  was  the  source  of  all  the  other  versions  was  forced  into  looking 
upon  it  as  an  interpolation  by  an  unskilled  hand.  W.  W.  Newell,  in  his  rendering  of  a  portion 
of  C,  wrote:  "Here  omitted  [is]  a  passage  (lines  1609-1689,  sic),  in  which  Perceval's  mother  is 

made  to  give  a  statement  in  regard  to  the  history  of  her  slain  husband The  passage, 

intended  to  emphasize  the  woes  of  the  widow,  seems  to  be  characterized  by  affectation,  and 
obviously  to  be  the  work  of  a  later  hand.  Wolfram  and  other  successors  of  Crestien  seem  to 
have  used  a  text  in  which  the  lady  was  represented  as  being  a  widow  at  the  time  of  her  flight." — 
King  Arthur  and  the  Table  Round  (Boston,  1897),  II,  252. 

There  are  other  indications  that  the  passage  is  an  interpolation:  (a)  statements  concern- 
ing the  mother's  kin  here  contradict  statements  in  the  rest  of  C;  (b)  Perceval's  inattention  here 
(following  his  mother's  remarks)  is  a  mere  parallel  to  that  toward  King  Arthur  (2160-65); 
(c)  the  style  is  Uke  that  of  an  interpolator — prolix,  etc. ;  (d)  the  account  of  the  father's  wounds 
looks  like  a  contamination  from  the  story  of  the  lame  Fisher  King: 

Vostre  peres,  si  nel  saves,  Mais  il  fu  en  une  batalle 

Fu  parmi  les  gambes  navres"  Navr^s  et  mehagnies  sans  falle, 

Si  qu'il  en  mehagna  del  cors;  Si  que  puis  aidier  ne  se  pot; 

Qu'il  fu  navres  d'un  gaverlot 

Vostre  peres  ce  manoir  ot  Parmi  les  hances  ambesdeus, 

Ici  en  ceste  foriest  gaste;  S'en  est  encor  si  angoisseus 

Ne  pot  frnr,  mais  en  grant  haste  Qu'il  ne  puet  sor  ceval  monter; 

En  litiere  aporter  s'en  fist,  Mais,  quant  il  se  viut  deporter 

Car  aUors  ne  sot  u  fuiist.  U  d'aucun  deduit  entremetre, 

Si  se  fet  en  une  nef  metre. 
The  mother  is  speaking  to  her  son  (1629-31;  Si  va  pescier  al  amengon;  .... 

1644-48).  ,,      .         .  .       . 

Percevals  giermame  cosme  is  speaking 
to  him  just  after  his  first  visit  to  the 
Grail  castle  (4687-^7). 
If  the  disputed  passage  was  written  by  Crestien,  it  must  have  been  known  to  Wolfram  and  to 
the  author  of  PC;  yet  it  was  (if  known)  cast  aside  and  deliberately  contradicted  by  these 
two  writers;  and  it  was  accepted  by  none  of  the  other  of  Crestien's  successors  except  perhaps 
the  Icelandic  redactor.  As  the  case  stands,  the  text  of  C  has  not  been  established;  but  so  far 
as  I  am  able  to  learn,  this  passage  is  not  wanting  in  any  MS  that  preserves  the  contiguous  lines. 
Miss  Weston  in  her  study  of  the  MSS  (Leg.  of  SP)  mentions  no  instance;  Potvin  prints  it  from 
the  Mons  MS,  and  indicates  its  presence  (cf.  his  notes)  in  12577  and  MpL,  and  its  prose  equiva- 
lent in  the  Print  of  1530. 

»"Var.:   Les  hanches"  (Potvin's  note). 


THE  HERO  S  POREST  REARING  27 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  the  scholars  who  hold  the  theory  that 
it  is  useless  to  seek  for  any  source  behind  Crestien's  poem  must 
argue,  as  a  corollary,  that  PC — an  anonymous  writer's  relatively 
obscure  preface  (cf.  p.  2,  supra) — was  the  source  for  an  incident 
(the  widow's  flight)  as  widely  known  as  any  incident  in  the  popular 
poem  (C)  to  which  it  (PC)  was  prefixed. 

But  the  difficulty  of  considering  any  one  of  the  six  versions  as 
the  immediate  source  of  the  others  is  evident.  Literary  history 
and  the  brevity  of  their  accounts  put  Pd,  Card,  and  Fool  out  of 
court.  The  late  date  of  the  composition  (or  translation)  of  SP 
and  the  general  facts  of  literary  history  discredit  the  theory  that 
the  EngHsh  poem  can  have  been  the  source  of  the  French  and  Ger- 
man poems.  Literary  history  makes  it  difiicult,  too,  to  see  how  W 
could  have  been  the  source  of  an  English  and  a  French  poem.^ 
And  there  are  at  least  five  reasons  for  believing  that  PC  is  not 
the  source:  {a)  it  does  not  furnish  enough  of  the  materials  possessed 
in  common;  {b)  SP  agrees  with  PF  in  a  larger  number  of  points 
than  with  PC;  (c)  it  is  highly  probable  that  W  was  written  first  ;^ 
(d)  it  is  highly  improbable  that  Wolfram  is  responsible  for  the 
introduction  of  the  Angevin  history;  (e)  Wolfram  suggests  the 
source  of  his  tale,  a  poem  written  by  "Kiot."^ 

The  evidence  of  this  chapter  is  strong.  And  while  it  may  not 
be  considered  strong  enough  to  amount  to  proof  of,  it  certainly 

'  Or  of  two  French  poems  if  (with  Gaston  Paris)  we  consider  SP  a  translation  from  the 
French. 

'  Several  things  point  to  a  comparatively  late  date  for  the  composition  of  PC:  had  it 
been  written  early  it  would  have  been  incorporated  into  more  of  the  MSS;  apparently  it  was 
unknown  to  the  continuators  (1190^-1225  a.d.),  Wauchier  contradicting  it  in  his  account  of  the 
father's  brothers,  and  Manessier  and  Gerbert  in  their  accounts  of  the  father's  children. 

Miss  Weston  offers  the  suggestion  that  the  immediate  source  of  PC  was  the  "book" 
Crestien  speaks  of  as  his  own  source.  Of  the  two  MSS  in  which  PC  occurs,  one  is  preserved  at 
Mons;  and  the  other  (Brit.  Mus.)  contains  a  drawing  of  the  arms  of  the  house  of  Flanders; 
both  MSS,  then,  being  connected  with  the  Netherlands,  "may  have  come  in  contact  with  the 
book,  or  what  remained  of  the  book,  owned  by  Count  Philip,  and  ....  a  later  copyist, 
aware  that  a  connection  of  some  sort  existed  between  the  poems,  supplemented  what  was  con- 
sidered as  a  defect  in  Chretien's  work  from  the  earlier  version." — Leg.  of  SP,  97,  and  57-58. 

^  Wolfram's  vigorous  assertions  concerning  Crestien  and  Kiot  cannot  be  explained  away 
by  the  "mere  formula"  hypothesis;  and  the  gratuitous  assumption  of  some  modem  scholars 
that  Wolfram  simply  hed  is  to  me  repugnant.    The  account  of  the  father  is  one  of  the  places 


28  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

goes  far  in  the  direction  of  establishing,  these  conclusions:  that  the 
different  versions  had  for  the  parts  we  have  been  studying  a  common 
source;  that  C,  with  or  without  the  disputed  passage  (1607-82), 
cannot  have  been  the  source;  and  that  C  and  PC  together,  with 
chance  thrown  in,  do  not  satisfactorily  account  for  the  agreements 
we  have  found. 

Whether  we  may  believe  that  there  ever  was  any  single  written 
version  that  was  the  source  of  all  the  others,  or  whether  we  must 
revert  to  a  body  of  oral  tradition,  does  not  yet  appear. 

in  which  Wolfram  diverges  most  widely  from  Crestien  (Wolfram  writes  3,300  lines  before  he 
reaches  the  birth  of  the  hero;  cf.  Books  I-II,  against  C,  1607-82);  and,  consequently,  it  may 
properly  be  considered  one  of  his  main  justifications  for  the  assertion  (XVI,  1201-11)  that 
Crestien  did  not  tell  the  tale  correctly.  For  other  assertions,  cf.  VIII,  560-70,  Q92;  IX,  605-82; 
XV,  1270;  XVI,  550.  For  other  points  of  divergence  cf.  Nutt,  Slud.,  25,  261-63;  Hertz, 
Parzival,  418,  505-6.  I  was  glad  to  find  that  the  opinion  I  reached  independently,  that  the 
account  of  the  father  is  one  of  Wolfram's  chief  objections  to  C,  is  also  the  opinion  of  such  investi- 
gators as  Miss  Weston  {Leg.  of  SP,  I,  73)  and  Hertz. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  HERO'S  AWKWARD  ATTEMPTS  TO  FOLLOW  INSTRUCTIONS 
Fifth  Incident:  The  Mother's  Religious  Instruction 
I.  SP,  229-56;  Card,  IX,  5— X,  8. 

II.  W,  III,  98-116;  PC,  1230-54. 

Other  versions,  wanting  (but  cf.  implications). 

Sixth  Incident:   The  Hero's  Meeting  with  Knights  in  the  Forest 

A.  The  Meeting  (no  groups) 

SP,  257-76;   C,  1283-1348;   W,  III,  127-42;   Pd,  245;    Ty,  85-119; 
Card,  XVII. 
Fool,  wanting. 

B.  The  Error  (no  groups) 

SP,  277-304;  W,  III,  143-208;  C,  1349-93;  Pd,  245. 
Ty,  Card,  Fool,  wanting. 

C.  News  of  Knighthood 

I.  SP,  305-20. 
II.  C,  1394-1554;  W,  III,  209-92;  Pd,  245-46. 

III.  Ty,  120-246. 

IV.  Fool,  162. 
Card,  wanting. 

D.  The  Return  Home 

I.  (a)  SP,  321-88;   (b)  Ty,  247-68;   Card,  XVIII-XXI. 

II.  (a)  C,  1555-1703;   W,  111,  293-328;   (b)  Pd,  246. 

(Cf.  Fool,  162). 

Seventh  Incident:  The  Mother's  Advice 

I.  SP,  389-416;   Card,  XXVII-XXIX;    Ty,  269-74. 
n.  W,  HI,  339-68. 

III.  C,  1704-92;  Pd,  246-47. 

Eighth  Incident:  The  Adventure  at  the  Tent 
A.  Departure  from  Home 

I.  SP,  417-32;    Ty,  275-80;   Card  (lacuna). 

II.  Pd,  247. 

III.  C,  1793-1828;  W,  III,  369-401. 

IV.  Fool,  162. 

29 


30  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

B.  The  Visit  to  the  Tent 

I.  SP,  433-80. 
II.  W,  III,  402-501;  C,  1829-1972;  Pd,  247. 

Ty,  Card,  wanting  (but  cf.  final  chapter,  infra,  pp.  119). 

C.  The  Return  of  the  Tent  Lord 
SP,  wanting. 

C,  1973-2025;  W,  III,  502-658;  Pd,  247-48. 

The  English  poem  next  presents  four  incidents  which  constitute 
a  clearly  bounded  group,  of  which  the  purpose  is  to  demonstrate — 
by  showing  the  hero's  awkwardness  in  following  directions — that 
trait  of  foohshness  which  is  made  prominent^  in  his  early  life. 
The  incidents  themselves  are  among  the  most  interesting  in  the 
whole  tale,  and  parallels  in  other  versions  are  numerous;  yet, 
notwithstanding,  the  grounds  upon  which  to  build  conclusions  con- 
cerning the  relationship  of  the  versions  are  scanty.  The  vagueness 
results  from  the  fact  that  one  of  the  chief  events,  the  Tent  incident, 
is  part  of  a  story  (or  parts  of  two  stories  melted  together)  to  be 
discussed  later,  and  its  significance  does  not  become  clear  until  the 
rest  of  the  stories  are  before  the  reader.  Consequently  the  sub- 
stance of  this  chapter  will  be  compressed  as  much  as  possible. 

In  SP  the  group  is  composed  of  two  symmetrically  developed 
portions.  In  each  portion  the  mother  gives  her  son  directions, 
he  faces  a  situation  in  which  he  attempts  to  follow  them,  and  a 
blunder  is  the  result,  but  through  the  blunder  his  fortunes  are 
advanced. 

The  account  is  as  follows: 

V.  When  Perceval  had  been  fifteen  years  in  the  forest,  his  mother  gave 
him  Instruction  concerning  God,  to  Whom  she  bade  him  pray;  and  he  went 
into  the  forest  to  seek  God.  VI.  There  he  met  three  knights,  and,  never  hav- 
ing seen  such,  he  thought  them  the  God  he  sought;  he  began  to  adore  them, 
but  they  told  him  they  were  only  knights.  Perceval  returned  to  his  mother 
and,  to  her  great  distress,  told  her  of  the  adventure  and  of  his  newly  formed 
purpose  to  go  and  become  a  knight.  VII.  She  gave  him  Advice  as  to  how  he 
should  conduct  himself.  VIII.  He  left  home  to  go  to  King  Arthur's  court; 
on  the  way  he  came  to  a  hall,  entered,  helped  himself  to  food  and  wine  he 

'  See  p.  23,  supra. 


THE   hero's   attempts   TO   FOLLOW  INSTRUCTIONS 


31 


found  on  the  table,  went  into  another  room  where  he  found  a  lady  asleep,  and 
took  her  ring,  leaving  his  own  in  its  place;  thence  he  departed  to  seek  the 
King. 

The  following   table  (parts  of  which  will  be  expanded  later) 
shows  the  main  items: 


The 


V 

mother   gives  her   son   In- 
struction concerning  God . 
the  devil 


VI 

The  hero  meets  knights  in  the 
forest : 

three^ 

a  fourth  later 

five 


for 


B. 


C. 
D. 


many 

the  Stag-Knight^ 

a      horse      (metonymy 

kmght)3 

By  error  he  thinks  they  are: 

the  devil 

angels 

God 

From  or  by  them  he  learns  of 

knighthood 

He  returns  and  tells  his  mother 

of  the  meeting 


VII 

The  mother  gives  her  son  Advice 
not    contaminated    from 

Instruction 

contaminated      from      In- 
struction   


B. 


VIII 

Mother  and  son  are  separated 

Mother  dies 

or  Hves  on 

The  hero  finds  a  Tent  (or 
hall)4 

By  error  he  thinks  it  a  monas- 
tery   

He  encounters  the  Tent  Lady 

He  departs  for  court 


SP 


SP 


SP 
SP 
SP 

SP 


SP 
SP 
SP 


SP 
SP 


W 

w 


w 
w 


w 
w 
w 

w 

w 


w 
w 


w 


w 
w 


Card 


Card 


Card 
Card 

Card 


{Card) 
Card 


Card 


Ty 


Ty 
Ty 

Ty 

(Ty) 
Ty 


Ty 


Fool 


Fool 


(Fool) 


C 


C 

c 
c 

c 

c 


c 
c 


c 

c 
c 
c 


Pd 


Pd 

Pd 
Pd 


Pd 


Pd 
Pd 


Pd 

Pd 
Pd 
Pd 


PC' 


'  PC  ceases  before  the  meeting  with  the  knights. 

'  Miss  Weston  (Leg.  of  SP,  I,  86)  suggests  the  Instruction  may  have  concerned  the  Trinity. 
'  Summaries  given  below. 

« I  shall  use  "Tent"  for  the  place  where  Perceval  met  the  Lady,  though  chap,  v  will  lead  us  to  believe 
that  SP's  hall  (palace)  is  the  older  form. 


32  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

Of  the  two  symmetrical  portions,  the  first  centers  about  the 
meeting  between  Perceval  and  the  knights  in  the  forest;  it  begins 
with  the  mother's  religious  Instniction,  and  ends  with  her  grief 
when  her  son  tells  her  he  has  seen  knights.  The  second  centers 
about  Perceval's  behavior  in  the  hall;  it  begins  with  the  mother's 
Advice,  and  ends  with  the  hero's  departure  from  the  hall.  Four 
versions  tell  all  (or  nearly  all)  of  the  two  stories,  faUing  into  two  sets: 
(a)  SP  and  W,  (b)  C  and  Pd.  Four  other  versions  tell  portions  of 
the  story:  PC,  Ty,  Card,  and  Fool. 

Several  comments  may  be  passed  on  the  first  portion.  It 
will  be  observed  that  in  C  (Pd  concurring')  the  rehgious  Instruction 
is  not  developed  into  an  incident  and  placed  previous  to  the  hero's 
meeting  with  the  knights  in  the  forest,  as  it  is  in  SP,  W,  and  (to 
an  extent)  Card.  The  substance  of  this  teaching,  nevertheless, 
appears  in  C,  for  by  Crestien's  literary  cleverness  Perceval's  remarks 
are  made  to  show  that  his  mother  has  instructed  him  concerning 
devils  (1326  ff.),  angels  (1350  ff.),  and  God  (13571?.);  and  when 
mother  and  son  meet,  after  he  has  seen  the  knights,  she  speaks  of 
"angels,  ....  who  slay  all  they  meet"  (1592-94),  and  of  God 
"Who  made  heaven  and  earth,  and  placed  men  and  women  there" 
(1768-70).  We  may  decide  either  that  Crestien  refined  upon  what 
was  the  source  of  the  other  versions,  or  that  his  poem  is  their  source. 
But  the  presumption  that  C  is  the  source  of  the  other  versions 
involves  the  supposition  that  Crestien's  followers  found  his  version 
too  delicately  literary,  and  that  three  of  them  (or  four,  if  PC's 
partial  account  be  considered)  extracted  his  hints  and  developed 
them  into  an  explanatory  incident,  which  they  (the  three)  then 
prefixed  to  a  more  or  less  cut-up  edition  of  his  account  of  the  meet- 
ing with  the  knights.  SP  and  Card  lack  entirely  the  devil  and  the 
angels;  Pd  knows  not  the  devil  and  has  forgotten  God;  out  of  W 
the  angels  have  fallen ;  and  the  only  thing  PC  catches  is  the  devil. 

As  regards  the  number  and  names  of  the  forest  knights,  SP  and 
Pd  present  a  noteworthy  similarity  in  that  the  knights  were  three 
in  number,  and  that  the  names  of  two  of  them  were  Gawain  and 

'  Pd:  One  day  when  Peredur  and  his  mother  saw  three  knights  pass  along  the  forest, 
he  asked  her  what  they  were.     She  answered  that  they  were  angels.     Peredur  then  said  he  would 

go  and  become  an  angel  with  them.    He  went  to  meet  them When  he  returned  to  his 

mother,  he  said  that  the  knights  were  not  angels  but  knights;  and  his  mother  swooned. 


THE   hero's   attempts   TO   FOLLOW   INSTRUCTIONS  33 

Ewain'  (Owain).  Opposed  to  them  stands  C  with  five  knights,  of 
whom  the  leader  is  quite  youthful.^  Wolfram  appears  to  have 
combined  the  two  accounts;  he  adopts  the  leader  of  C,  gives  him 
a  name,  and  then  adds  him  to  the  three  (now  unnamed)  knights 
of  the  SP-Pd  type.3 

In  SP  Perceval  threatens  the  life  of  Kay,  who  is  said  to  be  the 
third  knight.  Nothing  similar  in  this  scene  occurs  in  C,  W,  or 
Pd;"^  but  in  Fool  at  exactly  the  same  place  relatively  the  Fool  slays 
out  of  hand  the  man  (his  foster  brother)  who  has  just  told  him  of 
knightly  Kfe.  In  Ty,  furthermore,  the  hero  was  trying  to  slay  the 
stag  that  becomes  the  Stag-Knight  and  teaches  him  concerning 
knighthood.  In  SP  Kay's  Hfe  is  saved  by  the  sudden  and  singular 
intervention  of  a  buck.  (Compare  Ty's  Stag-Knight.)  These 
resemblances  may  be  entirely  the  result  of  chance;  but  I  inchne 
to  the  beHef  that  if  we  were  more  famihar  with  the  pedigree  of 
each  tale,  we  should  find  them  due  to  consanguinity. 

In  all  versions  except  C  the  close  connection  between  the  horse 
and  knightly  life  is  stressed  at  this  point. ^  In  C  Perceval  knows  all 
along  how  to  ride.  In  W  and  Pd,  although  horses  (work-horses) 
are  a  part  of  the  mother's  establishment,  the  hero  knows  nothing 
of  riding;  when  about  to  leave  home,  he  has  in  Pd  to  make  a  saddle, 
and  in  W  to  ask  his  mother  to  give  him  a  horse.     Carduino  sees 

■  Ewayne  fytz  Asoure  (SP,  261)  out  of  Fitz.  .  "  .  .  z  Ur(ien)  >  Fitz  as-Ur(ien)  ?  Ewayne 
was  son  of  Urien:  cf.  Erec,  1706,  "Yvains,  li  fiz  Uriien;"  Yvain,  1018-19,  1S18,  2122,  3631, 
"fiz  au  roi  Uriien";  C,  9518  ff.;  Potvin  I,  pp.  24,  etc.;  Morte  Arlhoure,  2066  {E.E.T.S.,  No.  8, 
1865),  "Then  syr  Ewayne  syr  Fitz  Uriene  full  enkerly  rydez";  etc. 

"  In  C  the  leader  was  probably  not  thought  of  as  Gawain,  for  he  is  made  to  say  (i 500-1 502) : 

"N'a  mie  encor.  V.  jors  entiers 
Que  tout  cest  harnois  me  dona 
Li  rois  Artus  ki  m'adouba." 

Gawain,  however,  was  not  at  court  when  Perceval  came  there,  though  his  squire  Yones  was; 
cf .  11.  5464  ff  • 

'  In  Prose  Tristan  (Loseth,  pp.  239  ff.,  §§  308  f.),  Agloval  is  the  informant.  The  mother 
lives  in  her  "tower"  with  Perceval,  and  there  they  weep  for  the  death  of  Pelinor,  Lamorat, 
and  Driant.  Agloval  alone  meets  Perceval  (his  brother)  in  the  forest  and  tells  him  of  knight- 
hood. Tristan  crosses  another  version  through  C  (cf.  p.  18,  note),  ignorant  of  or  ignoring  PC. 
If  C  1607-82  is  an  interpolation,  it  might  easily  have  arisen  out  of  an  account  like  this  passage 
in  Tristan  (perhaps  poorly  imderstood) .  Perceval's  two  older  brothers,  Lamorat  and  Driant, 
were  slain  on  the  same  day  (Tristan,  p.  237,  §  307)-  Whether  the  "disputed  passage"  of  C 
could  have  been  the  source  for  the  Pelinor-Lot  feud  of  Tristan  need  not  be  considered  here. 

*  Cf.  further  comment  in  chap,  v,  p.  99. 

'  PC  ceases  before  this  point  is  reached;  it  asserts  that  Perceval  knows  how  to  ride. 


34  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

horses  for  the  first  time  when  Arthur  and  his  party  come  into  the 
forest  to  hunt,  and  upon  this  occasion  he  outruns  their  horses. 
In  SP,  when  Perceval  is  on  his  way  home  after  meeting  the  knights, 
he  captures  a  wild  mare,  rides  it  home  (because  the  knights  had 
ridden  on  such  beasts),  and  later  rides  it  when  he  leaves  home. 
The  Great  Fool  sees  a  wild  horse,  hears  then  for  the  first  time  of 
knighthood,  catches  the  horse,  and  rides  away  from  home  on  it. 

The  second  of  the  two  symmetrical  portions  is  that  of  the 
mother's  Advice  and  the  son's  adventure  at  the  Tent.  Six  versions 
have  the  first  incident,  the  Advice  ;^  only  four  of  them  contain  the 
Tent  incident.     The  summaries  of  the  two  incidents  are  as  follows: 

VII.      THE   ADVICE   GIVEN   BY   THE   MOTHER   TO   HER   SON 

SP.—i.  He  should— (c)  be  of  "mesure,"  (b)  be  "fond  to  be  free,"  (c) 
take  his  hood  off  to  a  knight.  2.  To  his  question  she  repHed,  a  knight  may  be 
known  by  the  fur  in  his  hood.  3.  At  parting  she  gave  him  a  ring  of  recogni- 
tion— a  ring  by  which  she  could  know  him  when  they  should  meet  again. 

W. — I.  He  should — (a)  cross  no  dark  ford,  (b)  be  courteous,  (c)  greet 
people,  (d)  learn  of  a  wise  man,  (e)  take  a  girl's  ring  and  her  greeting  if  it  could 
be  won,  (/)  kiss  a  girl  if  she  would  permit  such.  2.  He  was  told  that  Lahelein 
was  his  enemy,  having  taken  his  lands. 

Card. — I.  He  should — (a)  serve  King  Arthur  as  he  would  his  mother, 
(b)  and  obey  him.     2.  He  was  told  to  revenge  his  father's  death. 

Ty. — I.  He  was  told  to  go  to  King  Arthur.  2.  He  was  given  Advice — to 
keep  company  with  none  but  those  of  gentle  birth. 

C. — I.  He  should — (a)  aid  women,  (b)  if  he  courted  one,  serve  without 
annoying  her;  (c)  it  is  an  honor  to  kiss  a  girl  if  she  be  willing,  and  he  should 
demand  no  more  than  she  was  willing  to  grant;  (d)  he  should  take  her  ring, 
belt,  or  purse  if  she  would  give  it;  (e)  he  should  ask  a  man  his  name;  (/)  go 
with  gentlemen,  for  they  do  not  deceive;  (g)  and  pray  in  churches  and  mon- 
asteries. 2.  In  answer  to  questions  he  was  told  that  (a)  a  church  is  a  place 
where  one  makes  sacrifice  of  Him  Who  made  heaven  and  earth,  and  placed 
men  and  women  there;  and  (b)  a  monastery  is  a  place  where  relics  are  kept, 
and  where  is  sacrificed  the  body  of  Jesus,  Who  saves  souls  from  hell.^ 

'  The  bestowal  of  advice  is  not  an  uncommon  thing,  even  in  the  romances,  but  I  have  found 
help  in  no  other  form  of  it  I  have  met  with.  In  C  Gornemans  (2831-S0)  and  the  Hermit  Uncle 
(7813-48)  offer  the  hero  advice;  in  W  Gurnemanz  (III,  1625  fi.)  does,  but  the  uncle,  Trev- 
rizent  (V  and  IX),  does  not;  in  Pd  (253)  one  uncle  does.  Cf.,  further,  C,  7766  ff.;  Wauchier, 
363050.;   Morten,  pp.  42-43  (Miss  Weston's  transl.);   Erec,  1793-99,  etc. 

'  Prefatory  to  the  advice  in  C  the  mother  says — rather  inconsistently:  You  are  going  to 
King  Arthur,  and  you  will  get  arms;  I  fear  you  may  be  slain;  but  you  will  be  a  knight  soon  if 
it  please  God,  and  I  would  have  you  be  one  (1704-26). 


THE   hero's   attempts   TO   FOLLOW   INSTRUCTIONS  35 

Pd. — I.  He  was  told  to  go  to  Arthur's  court.  2.  He  should — (o)  pray  at 
each  church,  ib)  if  he  saw  meat  and  drink,  and  none  offered  them  to  him,  take 
what  he  might  need,  (c)  help  anyone  crying  for  aid,  especially  a  woman,  {d) 
if  he  saw  a  jewel,  take  it  and  give  it  to  another,  for  thus  he  would  obtain  praise, 
and  {e)  pay  court  to  a  fair  woman  whether  she  wished  it  or  not. 

Vni.      THE   ADVENTURE   AT   THE   TENT 

SP. — I.  Arrival — Perceval  entered  a  hall.  2.  Recollection — Seeing  there 
a  table  set,  a  fire,  a  manger,  and  corn,  he  recalled  that  his  mother  had  said, 
"Be  of  'mesure.'"  3.  Meal — He  parted  the  corn  in  half  for  his  mare,  and 
ate  half  of  the  things  on  the  table,  leaving  the  other  half;  how  could  he  be  more 
of  "mesure"? — he  wished  to  be  "free."  4.  The  Tent  Lady — He  passed  to 
another  chamber,  found  a  Lady  asleep,  and  said  he  would  take  a  token  of  her, 
5.  The  Ring — He  kissed  her,  took  a  ring  off  her  finger,  and  placed  his  mother's 
ring  in  its  stead.     6.  Departure — Then  he  left. 

W. — I.  Arrival — Parzival  came  to  a  Tent  and  entered.  2.  Tent  Lady — 
He  saw  a  Lady  asleep,  and  spied  a  ring  on  her  finger.  3.  The  Ring — His 
grasp  waked  her,  but  her  struggles  were  useless;  he  kissed  her,  and  took  her 
ring  and  her  brooch.  4.  Meal — He  said  he  was  hungry ;  the  Lady  pointed  out 
bread,  wine,  and  two  game  birds,  saying  he  might  eat  them;  he  ate  and  drank 
his  fill.  5.  Recollection — The  Lady  bade  him  return  her  ring  and  brooch, 
and  flee  from  her  husband's  wrath;  the  hero,  replying  that  he  feared  not  her 
husband  but  would  go  if  his  presence  annoyed  her,  kissed  her  as  she  lay  on  her 
couch,  and  bade  God  bless  her,  "So  my  mother  taught  me."  6.  Departure — 
Then  he  rode  away. 

C. — I.  Arrival — Perceval  came  to  a  Tent,  which  he  took  for  a  monastery, 
and  entered.  2.  The  Tent  Lady — There  he  found  a  Lady  asleep,  but  the 
whinnying  of  his  horse  waked  her.  3.  Recollection — He  saluted  her,  saying 
his  mother  had  bidden  him  salute  maidens  wherever  he  found  them;  he  also 
said  he  would  kiss  her,  for  his  mother  had  told  him  to  do  so.  4.  The  Ring — 
He  kissed  her  rudely  twenty  times,  saw  her  ring,  and  took  it,  saying  his  mother 
bade  him  take  it.  5.  Meal^Then  he  saw  food  in  a  corner  of  the  Tent,  wine 
and  three  pasties;  he  ate  one  pasty  and  part  of  another,  bidding  the  Lady 
finish  it,  for  then  a  whole  one  would  still  be  left;  he  ate  what  he  wished  and 
covered  the  rest.     6.  Departure — Leaving  the  Tent,  he  rode  on. 

Pd. — I.  Arrival — Peredur  came  before  a  Tent,  took  it  for  a  church,  and 
said  a  Paternoster  to  it.  2.  The  Tent  Lady — In  the  open  door  of  the  Tent  sat 
the  Lady,  wearing  a  frontlet  and  a  finger  ring;  she  welcomed  him  when  he 
entered.  3.  Recollection — Seeing  two  flasks  of  wine,  two  loaves  of  bread, 
and  boar's  flesh,"  he  said:  "My  mother  told  me  wherever  I  saw  meat  and  drink, 
to  take  it."  4.  Meal — The  Lady  replied:  "Take  it  and  welcome";  he  took 
half  of  the  meat  and  liquor  for  himself,  and  left  half  for  the  Lady.     5.  The 

'  Loth  has:  "des  tranches  de  cochon  de  lait"  (p.  50). 


36  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

Ring — After  eating,  he  bent  on  his  knee  before  the  Lady  and  said :  "  My  mother 
bade  me  take  a  jewel  wherever  I  found  one";  she  repHed  :  "Do  so,  my  soul"; 
so  he  took  her  ring.     6.  Departure — Then  he  mounted  and  left. 

In  SP  the  Tent  Lord  is  not  referred  to  until  Perceval  meets  the  Tent  Lady 
the  second  time.  In  C,  W,  and  Pd  we  are  told  here  of  his  return  to  the  Tent 
and  of  his  anger  and  jealousy  at  finding  that  a  visitor  had  been  there  in  his 
absence. 

Concerning  the  mother's  reHgious  Instruction  of  her  son,  it  has 
been  pointed  out  that  such  an  incident  appears  to  underlie  the  C 
account.  If  we  grant  that  C  is  the  source,  we  must  presume  that 
the  authors  of  SP,  W,  and,  to  a  lesser  degree,  Card  and  PC  con- 
curred in  elaborating  Crestien's  hints  into  a  separate  incident  and 
in  giving  it  the  same  position  in  the  tale.  The  hero's  behavior 
toward  the  forest  knights  is  perhaps  sufficient  to  account  for  such 
a  development  in  SP,  W,  PC;  but  Card  must  be  explained  in  some 
other  way.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  consider  that  Crestien  drew 
upon  a  source  more  like  SP  and  W,  we  find  that  he  did  two  things : 
he  chose  to  weave  in  the  Instruction  subordinately  rather  than  to 
use  it  as  a  separate  incident,  and  then  he  combined  a  more  advanced 
kind  of  instruction  with  the  Advice.  Pd  follows  C  in  this  respect. 
That  certain  items  of  the  Advice  of  C  and  Pd  are  due  to  contamina- 
tion from  the  Instruction  incident  looks  the  more  probable  when  it 
is  remembered  that  these  items  lead  the  hero  (in  C  and  Pd  only) 
into  his  second  Error,  the  supposition  that  the  Tent  is  a  monastery, 
which  is  nothing  but  an  echo  of  the  first  Error  of  mistaking  the 
forest  knights  for  God. 

The  hero's  departure  from  home  occurs,  in  all  versions  except 
C,  immediately  after  he  learns  of  knighthood  or  e9,rly  the 
next  morning;  in  C  he  waits  three  days.  The  lingering  is 
due  merely,  I  think,  to  a  disposition  in  the  literary  group — C 
and  W — to  dwell  tenderly  upon  the  mother's  great  love  and  her 
suffering.  W's  poetic  treatment  of  the  mother's  grief  had  the 
same  origin. 

The  mother's  fate  is  different  in  two  different  groups.  In  the 
Grail  group  she  is  said  to  fall  dead  of  grief  at  her  son's  departure; 
in  what  I  may  call  the  folk-tale  group  she  either  lives  on  to  rejoin 
her  son  when  he  has  achieved  greatness,  or  nothing  more  is  said  of 


THE   hero's   attempts   TO   FOLLOW   INSTRUCTIONS  37 

her  at  all.  This  difference  I  think  I  can  explain,  if  the  reader  will 
permit  me  merely  to  state  here  what  I  believe  I  shall  show  pretty 
conclusively  in  the  end.  The  Grail  group  made  the  change.  Some 
author  (whether  Crestien  or  an  earlier  one)  decided  to  insert  the 
Grail  story  into  the  Perceval  tale.  Now,  in  the  story  of  the  visit 
to  the  Grail  castle  one  element  that  was  fixed  was  the  hero's  failure 
to  ask  the  important  question  concerning  the  meaning  of  it  all  when 
he  saw  pass  before  him  the  Grail  and  other  objects.^  This  early 
author  conceived  it  to  be  a  part  of  his  duty  to  furnish  an  adequate 
reason  for  this  failure;  he  sought  it  in  the  punishment  of  a  sin; 
and  for  the  sin  he  chose  to  make  the  mother  die  as  a  consequence 
of  her  son's  departure.^  The  motivation  of  the  mother's  death 
is  undoubtedly  poor.  It  is  a  contradiction  to  the  whole  fate  ele- 
ment of  the  tale  to  make  it  a  sinful  thing  for  the  hero  to  leave  the 
forest  to  go  seek  his  fortune.  Wolfram  (or  his  authority)  felt 
the  insufficiency  of  this  unconsciously  committed  sin,  but  instead 
of  getting  out  of  the  difficulty,  he  went  farther  into  it,  for  he  changed 
the  character  of  the  Red  Knight  (Ither),  made  him  a  relative  of 
Parzival,  and  then  counted  it  a  sin  for  Parzival  to  slay  him 
(IX,  1279  ff.).  The  folk-tale  group — keeping  its  events  always 
in  the  shadow  of  the  pillar  of  cloud  which  is  foreordination  and 
compelling  fate — slurs  over  the  mother's  unhappiness,  leaves  her 
well  after  her  son's  departure,  and  finds  no  place  for  sin  and  its 
punishment. 

The  two  incidents  of  the  Advice  and  the  visit  to  the  Tent  are  now 
linked  closely  together  in  the  Perceval  tale.^     Some  of  the  ways  in 

'  That  the  failure  was  a  significant  and  integral  part  of  the  original  Grail  story  appears 
certain.     It  is  found  in  the  accounts  of  Gawain's  visit  to  the  castle. 

'  Cf.  the  assertions  of  the  giermaine  cosine  (  =  Sigune)  and  the  Hermit  Uncle.  The  same 
impulse  caused  the  author  to  insert  Gomemans'  advice  to  avoid  many  questions  (C,  2831  fiE.). 

'  The  scribe  of  SP  thought  of  them  as  easily  separable.  At  the  conclusion  of  st.  27,  or 
between  11.  432  and  433 — i.e.,  between  the  conclusion  of  Perceval's  hfe  in  the  forest  and  the 
beginning  of  the  incident  of  the  Tent  Lady— there  is  inserted  the  expression,  "Here  is  a  Fytt 
of  Percyvelle  of  Galles."  Nothing  similar  occurs  elsewhere  in  SP.  Cf.  the  similar  single 
occurrence  in  Sir  Degrevant,  st.  22;  cf.  also  Awntyrs  of  Arthur,  sts.  20,  38;  Sir  Amadace  (Rob- 
son),  17,  43;  Avowing  oj  Arthur,  30,  48;  Eghmour,  30,  54,  77.  In  Pd  Lady  Guest's  printed 
version  of  the  Welsh  shows  three  breaks:  the  first,  Vol.  I,  p.  238,  occurs  at  just  the  same  place 
at  which  SP  inserts  "Fytt";  the  other  two,  pp.  268,  282,  set  off  a  series  of  incidents  that  are 
a  story  within  themselves.  In  the  translation,  Nutt's  reprint  (pp.  251,  271,  281)  and  the 
edition  of  1838-49  do  not  indicate  the  first,'but  both  mark  the  others.    The  Welsh  of  Y  Mahino- 


302248 


38  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

which  an  item  of  the  Advice  is  bound  to  an  item  in  the  Tent  adven- 
ture, and  in  which  a  portion  in  one  version  is  complemented  by  a 
portion  in  another,  are  of  sufficient  interest  to  be  pointed  out.  In 
two  versions,  C  and  W,  the  hero  is  advised  to  kiss  a  lady  if  he  have 
opportunity,  and  in  three  versions  he  kisses  the  Tent  Lady  against 
her  wiU.  The  omission  of  the  kiss  in  Pd  is  probably  the  result  of 
accident,  for  its  presence  in  Pd'?,  source  is  implied  by  the  advice  to 
court  a  lady  whether  she  wished  it  or  not;  and  so  far  as  she  was 
tested,  P^'s  Tent  Lady  was  oddly  complaisant.  An  exchange  of 
rings  appears  only  in  SP.  There  is  no  mention  of  a  ring  in  the 
Advice  of  SP;  there  is  such  in  C,  W,  and  Pd.  In  the  last  the  advice 
is,  where  you  see  a  jewel,  take  it  off  and  give  it  to  another  person. 
In  all  four  versions  the  hero  bears  away  the  Lady's  ring.  It  is 
possible  that  the  Advice  in  Pd  may  have  arisen  through  a  misunder- 
standing of  an  original  in  which,  as  in  SP,  an  exchange  of  rings 
occurred.  It  is  possible,  too,  if  for  a  moment  the  hypothesis  be 
granted  that  the  author  of  SP  had  before  him  a  manuscript  of  C, 
that  the  English  account  may  have  arisen  from  a  misreading  of 
C's  statement  (191 5-16)  that  the  hero  took  the  Lady's  ring  of  her 
finger  and  placed  it  on  his  own  into  Perceval  took  the  Lady's  ring 
off  her  finger  and  placed  his  own  on  it;  after  which  we  are  to  pre- 
sume that  the  Englishman  inserted  the  account  of  the  mother's 
ring  to  provide  for  the  "his  own."  But  C's  statement  will  not 
explain  the  Advice  of  Pd;  nor  will  it  account  for  the  importance 
attached  to  the  brooch  in  W.  Another  interesting  crossing  is 
connected  with  the  item  in  SP's  Advice,  "Be  of  mesure."  Perce- 
val recalls  this  advice  when  he  comes  to  the  Tent,  interprets  it  to 
mean  that  he  is  to  take  only  half  of  what  he  sees,  and  follows  it 
strictly,  as  regards  food  and  drink.  No  other  version  contains 
anything  similar  in  its  Advice.  In  W  he  makes  no  such  division, 
but  "eats  his  fill";  in  Pd,  however,  he  divides  the  meat  and  drink, 
taking  half  and  leaving  half;  and  in  C  the  equable  division  occurs 
in  a  blurred  way  (see  the  second  clause  of  C  5  on  p.  35,  supra),  as  if 
the  writer  had  preserved  in  a  half-buried  fashion  a  matter  from  his 

gion  Cymreig  (Liverpool,  i88o)  is  fully  paragraphed.  The  Text  of  the  Mabinogion  (Rhys  and 
Evans,  Oxford,  1887)  has  only  two  breaks  in  its  Pd  (pp.  220,  232),  the  last  two  of  Lady  Guest's 
text. 


THE  HERO  S   ATTEMPTS   TO   FOLLOW  INSTRUCTIONS  39 

source  which  he  did  not  regard  as  significant  and  which — perhaps 
unconsciously — he  altered/  The  Advice  in  Pd  to  take  food  if  no 
one  offers  it  is  almost  meaningless  (though  referred  to)  for  the  Tent 
incident  in  Pd,  where  the  Lady  bids  the  hero  eat  as  much  as  he 
wishes;  but  it  is  apposite  to  the  Tent  incident  in  SP,  where  through- 
out his  visit  no  one  is  awake  to  offer  him  food.^ 

It  looks  as  if  the  Perceval  tale  developed  out  of  a  simpler  tale 
in  which,  measured  by  the  evidence  of  Card  and  Fool,  the  mother 
gave  her  son  some  elementary  religious  Instruction,  the  son  shortly 
afterward  learned  accidentally  of  some  phase  of  knightly  life, 
returned  to  tell  his  mother  of  his  determination  to  go  out  into  the 
world,  and  the  mother  gave  him  simple  Advice  which  was  intended 
to  make  his  life  easier  and  safer.  Whether  or  not  such  was  the 
evolution  cannot  be  told  as  yet. 

The  discussion  is  continued  in  chapter  V. 

Cf,  11.  1945-40: 

Et  dist:  "Pucele,  cist  paste 
Ne  seront  hui  par  moi  use; 
Ven6s  mangier,  il  sont  moult  bien; 
Asses  ara  cascuns  del  suen; 
S'en  i  remanra  .1.  entiers." 

And  the  contradiction(?),  1953-54: 

Et  cil  manga  tant  com  lui  plot 
Et  but  tant  ke  asses  en  ot,  etc. 

'  The  hero's  behavior  at  another  meal  may  be  compared;  a  reflection  of  the  equable  divi- 
sion appears  in  two  accounts  {W  and  Pd)  of  the  first  meal  at  the  besieged  castle  (cf.  chap,  iv), 
but  not  in  C  or  SP. 

C. — I.  Blancheflur  said,  We  have  naught  but  a  few  crumbs  [from  a  pious  uncle],  a 
flask  of  wine,  and  a  buck.  2.  Tables  were  spread,  and  the  castle  folk  sat  down  and  ate  with 
relish.  3.  After  supper  some  went  to  bed,  others  went  on  guard.  4.  Perceval  was  cared  for, 
given  a  bed,  sheets,  and  a  pillow,  and  he  soon  fell  asleep. 

W. — I.  Two  uncles  told  Condwiramur  they  were  giving  her  twenty-four  loaves  of  bread, 
six  shoulders  and  hams,  sixteen  cheeses,  and  four  casks  of  wine.  2.  All  within  the  city  received 
food,  because—  3.  Parzival  advised  that  the  food  be  shared  around,  though  it  gave  only  a 
morsel  about.    4.  Then  he  went  to  rest. 

Pd. — I.  Two  nuns  brought  in  a  flask  of  wine  and  six  loaves  of  bread.  2.  The  household 
went  to  eat.  3.  The  Lady  wished  to  give  more  of  the  food  and  hquor  to  Peredur  than  to 
anyone  else.  4.  But  he  said  he  would  share  the  food;  so  he  gave  an  equal  portion  of  bread  to 
each,  and  a  cupful  of  wine.     5.  A  chamber  was  prepared  and  he  went  to  sleep. 

Compare  further  Yvain,  1046-54;   and  Ywaine  and  Gawin,  sn~(>o. 

A  capon  rosted  broght  sho  sone, 
A  clene  klath,  and  brede  tharone. 
And  a  pot  with  riche  wine. 
And  a  pece  to  fiJ  it  yne. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  RED  KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE  STORY 

Ninth  Incident:  The  Arrival  at  Court 

A.  The  Hero  Enters  the  Palace 

I.  (a)  SP,  481-500;  {b)  C,  2026-2132. 
II.  Ty,  277-88. 

III.  w,  III,  779-992. 

IV.  Pd,  248-49;  Fool,  161-62. 

Card,  lacuna.    Fool  ceases  to  be  similar  after  this  point. 

B.  Conversation  with  the  King 

I.  SP,  501-600;    Ty,  289-320;   Card,  XXX,  i— XXXIII,  4. 

II.  (a)  C,  2133-2255;    W,  III,  993-1119;    (b)  Pd  (substitute — with 

Kay),  249. 
Ty  and  Card  begin  to  be  quite  different  after  this. 

Tenth  Incident:  A  Knight  Insults  the  King 

I.  SP,  601-56. 
II.  Pd,  248. 
III.  C,  2057-2159;  W,  III,  872-936. 

Eleventh  Incident:  The  Hero  Avenges  the  Insult 

I.  SP,  675-820. 

II.  C,  2256-2399;  PF, III,  1127-1292;  Pd,  249-51. 

Twelfth  Incident:  The  Encounter  with  a  Witch 

I.  SP,  821-68. 

II.  G,  Potvin  VI,  183-86  (The  Library,  January  1904,  pp.  72-74). 

III.  Pd,  273-74. 

Thirteenth  Incident:  The  Hero  Entertained  by  Relatives 

A.  The  Relatives'  Enemies 

I.  SP,  869-948. 

II.  (a)  G,  181-83,  187-88;   (b)  Pd,  273-74. 

III.  C,  2497-2892;  W,  III,  1355-1898;  Pd,  251-53. 

B.  News  of  the  Besieged  Lady's  Distress 

I.  SP,  949-1056. 

II.  C,  2892-3250;    W,  IV,  1-499;   Pd,  256-58. 

40 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  4I 

Modern  Folk-Tales'  Containing  the  Incidents  of: 

I.  Insult,  Relatives,  Hag  Battle,  Relatives,  Insulter's  Punishment 

Red  Sh,   with  its  variants,  451-93;    Ransom,  Champion,  Hookedy. 
II.  Insult,  Insulter's  Punishment,  Hag,  Relatives 
Conall,  249-51,  286-94;  Fear  Diihh,  Alba. 

III.  Relatives,  Hag  Battle,  Relatives 

Faolan,  Manus,  Big    Men,  Fionn  and   Bran,  Dough,  Kil  Arthur, 
Mananaun. 

IV.  Fragments 

Birth  of  Fin,  Lawn  D. 

The  present  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  five  incidents  embracing 
some  575  lines,  rather  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  poem,  in  the 
middle  of  SP.  The  incidents  are :  the  Arrival  of  the  Hero  at  Court, 
the  Insult  Offered  the  King,  the  Death  of  the  Insulter,  the  Battle 
with  the  Witch,  and  the  Hero's  Meeting  with  Relatives.  As 
usual,  after  a  comparison  between  SP  and  C,  other  tales  will  be 
introduced  into  the  discussion  to  see  what  information  may  be 
garnered  concerning  the  ancestry  of  the  EngHsh  poem.  For  results 
we  shall  uncover  four  conditions  upon  which  we  may  rest  further 
study  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  certainty  that  they  are  facts: 
{a)  certain  odd  details  show  that  SP  and  C  are  closely  related; 

'  I  have  brought  together  in  each  chapter  whatever  material  I  could  find  that  bears  a 
strong  Hkeness  to  SP.  Then  I  have  endeavored  to  weigh  and  to  use  each  piece  of  material 
scientifically.  If  I  imderstand  Zimmer  aright  (in  his  review  of  Nutt's  "Studies,"  Goett.  gel. 
Anz.  [1890],  No.  12,  pp.  488  ff.),  it  is  his  opinion  that  the  modem  folk-tales  (Nos.  11  ff.  of  the 
list  on  pp.  4-6,  supra)  cannot  possibly  be  used  "scientifically"  in  the  study  of  my  problem, 
since  the  antecedents  of  these  tales  cannot  be  traced  before  the  sixteenth-eighteenth  centuries, 
and  since  French  romances  were  known  to  the  Gaels  before  that  time — since  the  romances, 
i.e.,  may  have  been  the  source  of  the  tales.  The  opinion  is  sound  in  part  (and  a  very  good 
one  to  keep  in  memory),  but,  as  I  think,  only  in  part.  The  nature  of  the  evidence  itself 
offered  by  the  tales  may  help  determine  their  credibility.  If  the  tales  demonstrate  the 
existence  of  a  pretty  clearly  defined  series  of  events;  if  the  most  reasonable  belief  is  that 
this  series  underlies  Crestien's  poem,  and  if,  nevertheless,  the  poem  cannot  possibly  have 
been  the  source  for  the  "series  of  events";  if  writers  almost  contemporarj'  with  Crestien  lend 
additional  evidence  for  the  existence  of  that  "series"  and  yet  cannot  have  been  the  source  of 
it;  if,  finally,  SP  can  be  shown  to  possess  more  of  the  "series"  than  C,  cannot  be  accounted 
for  as  sprung  from  C  plus  the  other  French  accounts,  and  cannot  itself  have  been  the  source 
of  the  series;  then  the  evidence  of  the  tales  may  not  be  neglected  by  the  student  who  means 
to  do  scientific  work.  See,  also,  the  comment  of  A.  C.  L.  Brown,  "The  Knight  of  the  Lion," 
Pub.  Mod.  Lang.  Assn.,  XX,  p.  700,  n.  2. 

For  substance  the  tales  are  certainly  available  evidence. 

For  priority  and  for  dates  evidence  must  be  sought  elsewhere. 

The  accounts  of  a  hag  ("caillech")  mentioned  by  Zimmer  (same  article,  508-9)  have  not, 
so  far  as  I  can  determine,  any  bearing  on  the  accounts  of  the  carlin  of  chap.  iii. 


42  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

(b)  each  of  these  two  versions  contains  incidents  not  to  be  found  in 
the  other;  (c)  comparison  of  them  and  other  tales  makes  it  possible 
to  reconstruct  much  of  what  must  have  been  the  common  source; 
and  (d)  such  a  reconstruction  develops  a  "story"  that  had  a  sepa- 
rate existence  before  it  was  incorporated  into  the  Perceval  tale. 
To  summarize  SP: 

IX.  From  the  hall  (  =  Tent),  Perceval  journeyed  on  till  he  came  to  the 
palace  of  King  Arthur.  He  rode  into  the  hall  and  came  so  close  to  the  dais^ 
i/i-r^Or  that  his  horse  kissed  the  forehead  of  the  King,  who  was  eating;  he  demanded 
that  he  be  made  a  knight  immediately.  The  King  was  reminded  of  his  knight 
Syr  Percyvelle,  of  his  death,  and  of  the  prophecy  that  only  the  son^  could  avenge 
the  father.  Perceval  was  greeted  so  kindly  that  he  fastened  his  mare  and  sat 
down  to  table.  X.  Before  he  began  to  eat,  a  knight  in  red  armor  rode  in  upon 
a  red  steed,  insxilted  the  company,  grasped  the  gold  cup  that  was  before  the 
King,  drank  the  wine,  and  rode  away  bearing  off  the  cup.  The  King  grieved 
that  he  had  no  one  to  revenge  the  insult,  for  the  Red  Knight  had  acted  in  this 
way  for  five  years.  The  hero  said  he  would  overthrow  the  Red  Knight  and 
return  the  cup  if  the  King  would  make  him  a  knight.  Arthur  agreed,  and 
Perceval  followed  the  Red  Knight.  XL  Overtaking  the  Red  Knight,  Perceval 
slew  him  with  a  cast  of  his  dart.     Then  he  desired  the  red  armor,  but  was  not 

'For  lists  of  references  to  similar  feats,  cf.  Child's  Ballads,  notes  on  "King  Estmere," 
II,  51,  and  the  additions  of  Kittredge,  II,  510;   III,  508. 

'  Asked  who  he  is,  Perceval,  not  knowing  his  name,  can  only  reply  to  the  King  that  he  is 
"his  own  mother's  child";  see  11.  506,  1094,  and  cf.  Hertz's  note,  Parzival,  p.  444;  a  similar 
expression  does  not  occur  in  C  at  this  place.  C  says  only  that  when  Perceval  returned  home 
after  meeting  the  forest  knights,  his  mother  called  him  "biaus  filz"  more  than  a  hundred  times 
(1567);  similarly,  PC,  1231.  Cf.  Heinzel,  Ueher  Wolfram's  Parzival,  34.  W,  III,  722,  has 
"bon  fils,  cher  fils,  beau  fils";  similarly,  j.  Titurel,  4387,  4.  Cf.  similar  expressions  in  Bel 
Inconnu,  115  (ed.  Hippeau);  Libeaus  Desconus,  26,  66  (Kaluza);  Chevalier  au  cygne  (Hippeau) 
I.  3S;  Chevalier  a  deux  espies  (Forster,  1877),  10773;  Heinzel,  Gralroman,  24,  note  i;  P.  Paris, 
Romans  d.  I.  Table  Round,  III,  27;  Nutt,  Studies,  153;  Miss  Weston,  Leg.  of  SP,  I,  68  5. 

Cf.  further:  W,  XIV,  1246,  Arthur  refers  to  Beaucorps  as  "My  sister's  son";  XIV,  1303, 
Beaucorps  is  called  "Lot's  child,"  and  VI,  1291-1303,  Gawain's  brother;  XIV,  1450,  Arthur 
calls  Gawain  "My  sister's  son";  cf.  also  I,  1165.  Cf.  the  kinship  between  Perceval  and  Arthur 
in  SP,  discussed  in  chap,  i,  ante;  and  between  Perceval  and  Gawain  in  SP,  1441,  1457,  discussed 
in  chap,  v,  infra.  The  Beautiful  Unknown,  in  Libeaus  D,  is  Gawain's  son;  Malory's  Gareth 
is  Gawain's  brother. 

Perceval,  as  the  name  of  a  knight,  occurs  first,  in  romance,  in  Erec  (only  once,  1.  1526); 
it  appears  four  times  in  Cliges  (4828,  4831,  4847,  4851);  Crestien  does  not  mention  it  in  his 
Yvain  or  Chevalier  de  la  charrette.  In  the  legend  of  Perceval  the  hero  is  usually  supposed  to 
be  long  in  ignorance  of  his  own  name.  C  first  mentions  it  in  1.  4751,  where  the  hero  states  it, 
although  he  had  presumably  never  heard  it.  PC  (739-42)  makes  a  mystery  of  it,  saying  that 
when  the  hero  was  christened,  his  name  was  pronounced  so  low  that  no  one  heard  it.  I  cannot 
see  that  any  special  significance  attaches  to  Crestien's  repression  of  his  hero's  name,  since  such 
'  a  repression  was  no  unusual  device  in  his  poems;  cf .  the  name  Enid  in  Erec,  Laudine  in  Yvain, 

and  Lancelot  in  Chevalier  da  la  charrette. 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE    STORY  43 

able  to  unlace  it;  so  he  bviilt  a  fire  to  burn  the  body  out.  Gawain'  arrived, 
stripped  the  armor  off,  and  placed  it  upon  Perceval.  That  hero,  disdaining  to 
return  to  the  King,  sent  the  cup  by  Gawain,  tossed  the  dead  knight's  body  upon 
the  fire,  and  rode  on.  XII.  Next  morning  he  met  a  Witch,  the  mother  of  the 
Red  Knight.  She  thought  him  her  son,  and  said  that  she  had  been  told  falsely 
that  he  was  dead,  and  that  even  if  he  had  been  dead  she  could  have  revived 
his  body.  Perceval,  rejoicing  that  he  had  burned  the  body,  slew  the  witch  with 
her  son's  own  spear,  and  bore  her  body  to  the  fire  upon  which  the  Red  Knight 
had  been  burned.  XIII.  Then  he  rode  on  until  he  overtook  ten  knights — 
his  Uncle  and  nine  cousins— who  fled  from  him,  thinking  him  their  enemy,  the 
Red  Knight.  After  they  learned  their  mistake,  they  entertained  Perceval 
in  their  castle.  While  they  were  at  table,  a  messenger  brought  news  of  the 
Besieged  Lady's  distress,  and  Perceval  determined  to  go  to  her  rescue.  He 
started,  accompanied  by  three  of  his  cousins,  but  after  a  short  time  he  sent  them 
back,  and  rode  on  alone. 

In  C  the  account,  arranged  in  six  incidents,  runs  thus: 

If  Perceval  left  the  Tent,  and  next  met  a  charcoal-burner,  who  directed 
him  to  court.  Approaching,  he  saw  issue  from  the  gate  a  knight  clad  in  red 
armor  and  bearing  a  cup  in  his  hand.  Perceval  said  he  would  demand  the  red 
armor  from  the  King.  The  Red  Knight  stopped  him  to  send  a  message  of 
defiance  to  Arthur.  The  hero,  little  regarding  the  message,  passed  and  came 
to  where  the  King  was  seated  at  meat.  Arthur  was  lost  in  thought.  Perceval, 
riding  in,  asked  a  boy  which  was  the  King.  Tf  Then  he  addressed  the  King, 
who  made  no  response.  Perceval  said,  "This  King  makes  no  knights"; 
and  in  disgust  turned  his  horse's  head,  which  accidentally  knocked  ofi^  the 
King's  head-gear.  Thereupon  the  King  roused  and  spoke.  ^  He  told  of  the 
coming  of  the  Red  Knight,  the  insult,  and  the  spilling  of  wine  on  the  Queen; 
and  said.  Unless  God  helped  him  he  would  die.  Perceval  paid  no  attention 
to  the  acccount,  but  demanded  that  Arthur  make  him  a  knight.  Arthur 
promised  he  would  do  so;  then  Perceval  demanded  the  red  armor.  ^  Kex 
sneered  at  the  hero,  and  injured  a  damsel  and  a  fool  who  did  honor  to  Perceval. 
^  Perceval,  unheeding  Kex,  went  out  to  seek  the  Red  Knight,  and  Yones 
followed,  in  order  to  bring  back  the  news.     Perceval  came  to  the  Knight, 

'  Perceval's  assistant  is:  in  SP,  Gawain,  the  leader  of  the  forest  knights;  in  Pd,  the  leader 
of  the  forest  knights;  in  C,  Yones,  esquire  of  Gawain  (C,  7064  fi.;  Wauchier,  11 102);  in  W, 
Iwanet,  the  queen's  servant  (III,  1197-99).  The  disposition  seems  strong  to  connect  Gawain 
with  the  hero's  entry  into  life.  W  makes  Iwanet,  not  Gawain's  squire,  but  servant  to  the 
queen;  but  it  is  a  romance  commonplace  that  Gawain  was  a  ladies'  knight,  in  particular  the 
queen's  knight:  cf.  Awntyrs  of  Arthur,  st.  i;  Avowing  of  Arthur;  Gaw.  and  Green  Knight;  C, 
9546  5.,  W,  XII,  1274-1313,  XIII,  542  £f.;  Merlin  (ed.  Sommer),  chap,  xxvi,  p.  343;  Miss 
Weston's  Leg.  of  Gaw.,  pp.  75  £f.,  and  Leg.  of  Lane,  pp.  117-18,  95. 

In  C  we  are  told  later  that  Gawain  was  away  from  court  at  the  time;  cf.  p.  ss,  n.  2. 

Gawain  was  the  assistant  in  other  tales,  going  to  the  aid  of  the  hero  in  Ty  and  in  its  cognate 
in  the  Dutch  Lanzelet. 


44  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

demanded  the  armor,  and  was  struck  over  the  shoulders  by  the  Knight's 
lance  for  his  pains.  With  his  gaverlot  he  smote  the  Knight  through  the  eye 
to  the  back  of  the  neck,  and  slew  him.  Yones  arrived  when  Perceval  was 
having  trouble  to  loose  the  red  armor,  and  assisted  him  to  don  it.  Perceval 
bade  Yones  bear  the  cup  to  the  King  and  messages  to  the  damsel  and  the  fool 
whom  Kex  had  struck.  ^  He  rode  on  till  he  reached  the  castle  of  Gornemans; 
there  he  was  instructed  in  the  use  of  arms  by  him,  received  one  night's  enter- 
tainment, and  was  knighted  by  Gornemans  next  morning.  He  left  to  seek 
his  mother,  and  came  next,  by  accident,  to  the  castle  of  the  Besieged  Lady 
(Blancheflur) . 

The  two  poems  show  great  similarity  of  substance.  But  they 
manifest,  also,  certain  considerable  differences.  For  one  thing 
the  poets  used  different  devices  for  presenting  their  materials  before 
the  reader  (hearer).  The  writer  of  SP  narrates  in  his  own  person 
the  coming  of  the  Red  Knight  to  court,  and  the  insult  to  the  King. 
Crestien,  in  a  sort  of  second-hand  way,  places  the  account  in  the 
mouth  of  the  King.^  This  difference,  in  its  turn,  rendered  neces- 
sary another  one:  in  C  Perceval,  before  reaching  the  King's  castle, 
meets  the  Knight;  in  SP  there  is  no  such  meeting.  For  a  second 
thing,  the  two  poems  are  different  in  contents.  All  of  the  fourth 
incident  and  part  of  the  fifth  of  SP  are  entirely  unrepresented  in  C. 
Nothing  of  Kex's  insulting  behavior  to  those  who  honor  Perceval 
and  its  consequences  as  told  in  C  appears  in  SP. 

Although  C  does  not  make  the  hero's  entrance  into  court  a 
separate  incident,  while  SP  does,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 
two  versions  possess  in  common  two  striking  points  that  do  not 
appear  in  any  other  versions.  The  first  is  an  evidence  of  boorish- 
ness  in  the  hero's  manners — he  rides  so  near  to  King  Arthur  that  his 
horse's  head  kisses  the  King's  forehead  or  displaces  his  majesty's 
head-dress.  The  second  is  the  King's  pensiveness— in  C,  because 
he  is  meditating  on  the  Red  Knight's  insult;  in  SP,  because,  when 
he  looks  on  Perceval,  he  is  reminded  of  the  knight  Syr  Percyvelle, 
whom  he  had  lost  fifteen  years  before. 

Crestien's  device  of  presenting  indirectly  the  Red  Knight's 
visit  and  insult  (by  making  the  King  recount  them)  is  to  be  con- 

'  Cf.  use  of  same  device  in  the  "disputed  passage,"  chap.  i.  The  author  of  Pd  says  (direct 
narrative)  that  before  Peredur  reached  court  a  knight  had  been  there  and  insulted  the  King, 
etc.  Wolfram,  "improving "  upon  C,  has  the  Red  Knight  recapitulate  the  affair  when  he  meets 
Perceval  about  to  enter  the  palace. 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE    STORY  45 

sidered,  I  think,  an  attempt  at  refinement;  for  the  reader's 
(hearer's)  attention  is  thereby  centered  upon  the  King's  grief 
rather  than  the  Knight's  roughness,  and  a  rough  scene  seems  less 
rough  if  told  as  having  happened  than  if  presented  as  occurring. 
It  is  easy  to  conceive  of  Crestien's  refining  a  source  of  the  SP  type. 
It  is  less  easy,  if  C  be  considered  the  source,  to  account  for  the 
stepping-down  process  from  C's  refinement  to  SP's  rudeness. 

The  incident  of  the  Red  Knight's  death  furnishes  three  interest- 
ing points  for  mention  here :  (a)  The  redness  of  the  Knight's  armor 
is  insisted  on  by  all  the  versions — SP,  C,  W,  Pd.  The  equipment 
is  not  stated  in  our  cycle  to  have  possessed  magic  qualities;'  but 
in  C  the  behavior  of  Gornemans  when  Perceval  comes  to  his  castle 
appears  vaguely  to  hint  at  something  extraordinary  in  it;^  and 
Wolfram  (III,  1355-66)  dwells  upon  the  (supernatural  ?)  power  of  the 
horse.^  {h)  The  red  armor  came  early  to  be  intimately  associated 
with  Perceval,  who  was  himself  then  sometimes  referred  to  as  the 
Red  Knight.  But  for  Perceval  to  acquire  it,  it  was  necessary  for 
the  Red  Knight  to  die.  Hence  Crestien  found  it  impossible  to 
save  the  Hfe  of  that  knight,  though  his  hero  does  not  slay  any  other 
person ;  and  Crestien  offers  a  sort  of  retroactive  excuse  for  the  Red 
Knight's  death  by  making  it  (through  Gornemans'  advice)  seem 
due  to  Perceval's  want  of  courtly  instruction.''  {c)  The  third  and 
most  significant  point  is  the  burning  of  the  Red  Knight's  body. 
The  English  writer  thought  it  a  very  important  matter,  for  he 
reverts  to  it  twice :  the  Witch  says  she  could  have  revived  the  dead 
body  if  she  had  found  it;  and  the  Uncle  expresses  joy  when  he 
learns  it  has  been  burnt.     There  is  nothing  in  C  out  of  which  the 

'  SP  and  Pd,  however,  assert  that  the  Knight  was  a  magician. 

'  Cf.  11.  2559-71;  2576-77;  2727-30;  in  the  first  passage  Gornemans  shows  curiosity 
about  Perceval's  arms;  in  the  second,  about  his  horse;  in  the  third — 

"Dont,  alons  huimais  a  I'ostel, 
Fait  li  preudom  qu'il  n'i  a  tel; 
Et  vous  arez,  qui  qu'il  anuit, 
Ostel  sans  vilonie  anuit." 

And  the  hero  in  Red  Sh  (cf.  later)  says  he  desires  the  arms  of  the  Insulter  because  they 
are  the  best  in  the  world,  but  he  does  not  get  them. 

'  Cf.  Sir  Eglamour,  610-15  ("Thornton  Romances,"  121  fif.),  in  which  a  damsel  gives  the 
hero  a  red  horse  of  such  virtue  that  a  man  may  never  be  slain  while  riding  it.  In  C  the  Knight 
had  dismounted  before  he  struck  Perceval;  in  SP,  Pd,  and,  apparently,  T^  he  had  not. 

*  In  W  Gurnemanz  was  not  pleased  to  hear  of  Ither's  death  (III,  1619-20). 


46  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

SP  account  could  easily  have  grown,  but  there  are  some  Hnes  now 
of  little  purport  that  become  significant  on  the  hypothesis  that  they 
are  remnants  of  a  burning-the-body  incident  somewhere  in  the 
sources  of  C.     Perceval  is  speaking  to  Yones: 

Je  quidoie  de  vostre  roi 
Qu'il  m'eust  ces  armes  donees; 
Ains  auroie  par  carbonees 
Trestout  escarbellie^  le  mort, 
Que  nule  des  armes  enport. 

— 2326-30. 

The  three  incidents — the  arrival  of  Perceval  at  court,  the  insult 
of  the  Red  Knight,  and  the  overthrow  of  the  Red  Knight — could 
conceivably,  without  any  overwhelming  difficulty,  so  far  as  our 
discussion  has  yet  shown,  have  come  from  C  into  SP.  We  should 
then  have  to  say  that  the  visit  to  the  Uncle  was  so  far  altered  as 
to  leave  the  merest  fact  of  a  visit  as  the  only  remnant.  But  there 
remains  the  incident  of  the  Witch  in  SP,  which  has  no  possible 
origin  in  C.  And  the  discussion  that  follows  will  show  that  it  is 
not  an  episode,  to  be  looked  on  as  something  standing  alone  because 
invented  by  the  author  or  borrowed  and  lugged  into  his  tale. 
But  it  is  part  of  ''  a  story."  The  other  incidents  in  SP  that  belong 
with  it,  as  parts  of  the  same  story,  are  the  insult  of  the  Red  Knight, 
his  death,  and  Perceval's  visit  with  his  Uncle;  and  the  whole  may 
be  designated  the  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  story.  From  the  vari- 
ants that  we  possess,  it  is  possible  to  reconstruct  much  of  the  story 
in  its  more  primitive  form.  It  is  the  basis  for  this  portion  of  C, 
but  since  SP  preserves  more  of  the  earlier  form  than  C  does,  it  is 
certain  that  C  is  not  the  source  for  this  part  of  SP. 

Before  beginning  a  discussion  of  this  "story,"  let  me  point  out 
that  after  the  arrival  of  the  hero  at  court  Ty,  Card,  and  Fool  cease 
to  be  like  SP  and  C;  their  heroes  go  to  aid  a  woman,  Perceval 
goes  to  avenge  the  insult  to  the  King.  Summaries  of  Ty,  Card, 
and  Fool  follow: 

Ty. — Having  kissed  his  mother  farewell,  Tyolet  went  over  mountains 
and  valleys  till  he  came  to  the  court  of  the  King.  Arthur  was  seated  at  meat 
when  he  rode  up  to  the  dais.     Tyolet  spoke  not.     Arthur  bade  him  descend 

'  Most  MSS  have  "esbraone";  cf.  Miss  Weston,  Leg.  of  SP,  I,  79. 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE    STORY  47 

and  eat,  and  tell  what  he  sought,  who  he  was,  and  what  his  name  was.  Tyolet 
said  he  wished  to  be  made  a  knight,  and  gave  his  name,  and  said  his  mother 
was  the  widow  of  the  forest.  Arthur  was  pleased,  and  Tyolet  sat  down  to 
eat.     Soon  a  damsel  came  in  seeking  aid  for  herself  (275-323). 

Card. — (Lacuna.)  Arthur  heard  Carduino,  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  asked 
his  name,  father,  mother,  and  country.  Carduino  did  not  know  who  his  father 
was;  his  mother  was  "d'una  vil  giente";  and  Carduino  had  come  to  serve 
Arthur  truly.  The  King  bade  the  barons  serve  him.  He  washed  and  went 
to  the  table.  The  barons  marveled  at  his  size.  Presently  came  in  a  beautiful 
damsel  to  seek  the  King's  aid  for  her  mistress  (xxx-xxxiii) . 

Fool. — The  Fool  went  in  wonder  to  see  the  palace  of  his  father's  brother. 
In  a  dispute  he  slew  the  King's  son.  Then  he  went  where  the  King  was. 
"Creud  orm,"  said  the  Fool.  The  King  asked  who  he  was.  He  replied  that 
he  was  the  fool  of  the  forest  and  could  make  a  fool  of  the  King.  The  King 
said  his  adviser  had  done  that  when  he  persuaded  him  (King)  to  leave  the 
widow  alive  when  he  slew  his  (King's)  brother.  The  King  then  went  with  the 
Fool  on  an  adventure  to  rescue  a  beautiful  woman  (162-63). 

The  tales  to  be  studied  for  the  purpose  of  reconstructing  the 
Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  story  are  SP,  C,  W,  Pd,  Gerbert's  "con- 
tinuation," and  some  modern  folk-tales.^ 

Next  to  be  set  down  are  summaries  of  the  tales  concerned,^ 
and  afterward  will  come  the  discussion  of  them.  Four  incidents 
appear,  though  they  do  not  always  occur  in  the  same  order.^  To 
enable  the  reader  to  follow  more  readily,  the  summaries  are  arranged 
in  two  sets:  SP,  Pd  {a  and  b),  G,  Red  Sh,  and  Conall  are  first  set 
forth  by  incident,  the  sequence  of  the  tale  being  disregarded  where 
necessary;  the  second  set  includes  the  rest  of  the  modern  folk- 
tales, summarized  each  according  to  its  own  sequence.  The  reader 
not  familiar  with  Red  Sh  will  get  a  good  idea  of  it  by  reading  the 
summary  of  Ransom  (pp.  55  ff.,  infra),  a  variant  of  it. 

'  Nutt  {Stud.,  esp.  pp.  165-69)  pointed  out  many  resemblances,  using  SP,  Pd,  G,  Red  Sh, 
and  Conall.  He  was  intent  upon  finding  the  Grail,  however,  and  my  study  leads  me  to  believe 
the  Grail  entered  the  legend  late. 

'  Nothing  will  be  gained  by  repetition  or  elaboration  of  the  summary  of  C.  IF,  in  outUne, 
is  much  hke  C:  the  chief  variations  are  that  (a)  the  accoimt  of  the  Red  Knight's  insult  is  placed 
in  the  mouth  of  the  Knight  himself;  (b)  the  Knight's  character  is  exalted  and  praised;  (c)  the 
two  persons  who  honor  Parzival  at  court  are  dignified,  named,  and  given  greater  importance; 
{d)  Gurnemanz  has  three  sons  (now  dead)  and  a  daughter  instead  of  the  two  attendant  3'ouths 
of  C;  he  offers  the  daughter  in  marriage  to  Parzival,  and  she  is  refused.  The  significance  of 
the  variations  will  be  discussed  in  the  comments. 

'  The  sentences  are  numbered  to  indicate  the  original  sequence,  and  also  for  use  in  the  table 
on  p.  55,  below. 


48  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

A.      THE   INSULT   TO   THE   KING 

SP. — I.  The  King  was  among  his  courtiers,  the  hero  seated  near  him. 
2.  The  Red  Knight  (a  magician)  entered,  made  sport  of  the  company,  drank 
the  wine  in  the  Eling's  cup,  took  the  cup,  and  departed.  3.  The  King  lamented 
the  want  of  a  champion,  and  spoke  of  the  Knight's  former  insults.  4.  Perceval 
undertook  the  adventure.  5.  It  had  been  predicted  that  he  woidd  avenge 
the  death  of  his  father,  slain  by  the  Red  Knight. 

Pd{a) — I.  King  Arthur  was  in  his  court,  but  the  hero  was  not  present. 
2.  The  Red  Knight  (a  magician)  entered,  dashed  wine  in  the  Queen's  face, 
struck  her  a  violent  blow  in  the  face,  gave  a  general  challenge,  took  the  goblet, 
and  departed.  3.  Shortly  afterward  the  hero  arrived  at  court  and  was  honored 
by  two  persons,  whom  Kay  thereupon  insulted.  4.  He  heard  from  Kay  of 
the  Red  Knight's  visit  and  insult,  and  was  bidden  to  go  and  procure  the  Red 
Knight's  armor.  5.  He  departed  to  do  so.  6.  By  prophecy  it  appeared  that 
he  was  to  be  the  best  knight  in  the  world. 

Pd{b).^ — 13.  The  Empress  (the  lady  who  before  this  time  had  given  Pere- 
dur  a  magic  stone;  cf.  below)  was  holding  a  great  marriage  tournament.  14, 
One  day  when  the  hero  was  seated  beside  her,  a  Black  Man  entered,  bearing 
a  goblet  of  wine;  he  dropped  upon  one  knee  and  besought  the  Empress  to 
bestow  the  goblet  on  no  one  who  would  not  fight  with  him  for  it.  15.  The 
hero  requested  the  cup,  drank  the  wine,  and  used  the  cup  to  pay  a  debt.  16. 
The  scene  was  repeated  for  a  second  and  a  third  man.  17.  The  hero  slept 
that  night.  18.  Next  day  he  armed  himself,  went  to  the  meadow,  and  slew 
the  three  men. 

G. — (No  equivalent.     The  scene  has  already  been  related  in  C.) 

Red  Sh. — I.  The  King  of  Eirinn  was  seated  among  his  nobles,  the  hero 
being  near  by.  2.  A  personage  (a  magician)  drew  near,  spoke  to  (insulted?) 
the  company,  struck  the  King  in  the  face,  knocking  out  three  teeth,  which  he 
took,  and  departed.  3.  Red  Shield  and  two  other  knights  undertook  to  avenge 
the  insult. 

Red  Sh  variants.^  Variant  a. — The  king  was  out  hunting  with  his  attend- 
ants, his  son  being  near  by.  A  rider  on  a  black  horse  came,  struck  the  king 
with  his  fist,  knocked  out  one  of  his  teeth,  and  took  it  away  with  him.  The 
king's  son  vowed  to  recover  the  tooth,  and  set  off  on  his  travels  (Mrs.  Mac- 
Tavish's  version,  Campbell's  Tales,  II,  484). 

Variant  b. — [The  King  was  situated  as  in  Red  Sh  (?),  but  instead  of  the 
rider  on  the  black  horse]  a  head  came  in  a  flame  of  fire,  and  another  head  came 

'  Pd{b}  is  Peredur  from  the  incident  of  the  Black  Oppressor  to  the  marriage  of  Peredur  to 
the  Empress  (Nutt's  ed.,  pp.  271-81).  It  has  in  its  time  served  several  uses:  Rhys  {Arthurian 
Legend)  used  it  in  an  efiort  to  show  that  Perceval  and  Iwain  are  well-nigh  two  names  for  the 
same  hero;  Schofield  {Harv.  Stud,  and  Notes,  IV)  made  it  an  important  link  in  his  endeavor  to 
reconstruct  the  earher  form  of  the  Beautiful-Unknown  tale.  In  neither  of  these  two  cases,  it 
seems  to  me,  was  this  portion  of  Pd  used  properly.    For  Pd{b)  1-12  see  below. 

'  The  variants  are  given  by  Campbell  in  his  notes. 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  49 

singing.    A  fist  was  struck  on  the  door  of  the  mouth  of  the  king,  and  a  tooth 

was  knocked  out The  head  did  this  three  years  after  each  other/ 

and  then  it  went  home  (MacDonald  in  Tales,  II,  485). 

Conall. — [A  partially  similar  incident.]  i.  The  King  was  at  table  with 
guests,  the  hero  being  present.  2.  An  enemy  entered,  drew  his  fist,  and  struck 
the  King  between  the  mouth  and  the  nose,  and  drove  out  three  front  teeth, 

which  he  caught  on  the  back  of  his  fist 3.  The  hero  avenged  the 

insult,  though  not  with  death  (Campbell's  Tales,  III,  249). 

B.      THE   INSULTER'S   DEATH^ 

SP. — 6.  The  hero  left  court,  encountered  and  slew  the  Red  Knight,  donned 
the  red  armor,  and  rode  on. 

C,  W,  and  Pd{a)  are,  except  for  the  burning  of  the  Knight's  body,  much 
like  SP;   there  are  no  points  needing  elaboration. 

Pd{b). — Cf.  18  above  and  i  below. 

'  This  statement  lends  support  to,  though  it  does  not  explain,  a  difficult  passage  in  SP, 
in  which  Arthur  asserts: 

"Fyve  3eres  hase  he  [Red  Knight]  thus  gane, 
And  my  coupes  fro  me  tane, 
And  my  gude  knyghte  slayne, 

Mene  calde  syr  Percyvelle; 
Sythene  takene  hase  he  three,"  etc.  (633-37). 

Cf.  also  items  16  and  18  under  Pd{h)  above;  and  the  time  allusions  in  Faolan  (seven  years); 
Manus  (seven  years);  Fionn  mid  Bran. 

With  the  prophecy  recalled  by  Arthur,  that  Perceval  should  avenge  his  father's  death 
(by  inference,  slay  the  Red  Knight  and  the  Witch),  cf.  the  prediction  in  Pd{b)  (p.  276,  1.  9) 
that  Peredur  should  slay  the  Addanc;  in  G  that  only  Perceval  could  slay  the  Hag;  and  in 
various  tales  summarized  below  that  only  the  hero  could  accomplish  the  adventure. 

In  the  Scotch  tales  it  is  the  King's  teeth  (or  tooth)  that  the  insulter  takes  away;  when  the 
hero  recovers  them,  he  places  them  in  a  cup  of  wine  or  water  which  he  gives  to  the  King,  and  as 
soon  as  the  monarch  drinks,  the  teeth  fly  back  into  their  proper  places.  In  SP,  C,  W,  and  Pd  it 
is  the  King's  drinking-cup  that  the  Red  Knight  bears  away.  The  Scotch  form  is,  I  think,  the 
more  primitive;  perhaps  the  SP  form  rose  through  an  effort  at  refinement. 

'  In  SP  the  hero  burnt  the  Knight's  corpse  and,  later,  that  of  the  Witch.  A  connection  has 
been  suggested  between  the  Mother's  Advice  and  the  lines: 

"He  sayd,  'My  moder  bad  me, 
Whenne  my  dart  solde  brokene  be, 
Owte  of  the  irene  brenne  the  tree. 

Now  es  me  fyre  gnede!'"   (749-52). 

Cf.  Nutt,  Stud.,  p.  149.  I  have  been  unable  to  discover  any  connection  with  the  Advice,  and 
incline  rather  to  see  in  them  the  poet's  ex  post  facto  invention  for  the  purpose  of  justifying  the 
burning  of  the  Knight's  body  (cf.  also  SP,  1679  ff.). 

Wolfram  makes  the  Red  Knight  the  nephew  of  Uther  Pendragon  (III,  877-78),  best  of 
knights,  and  near  kinsman  to  Parzival. 

The  romancers  were  rather  fond  of  referring  to  a  knight  as  a  "Red  Knight":  cf.  Erec, 
5367-6410,  esp.  5898  ff.;  Perlesvaus  (Potvin,  I,  20-21),  a  "Knight  of  the  Red  Shield."  who  was 
slain  by  Perlesvaus  before  he  left  his  forest  home;  Wauchier,  23124  ff.;  Jacob  von  Maerlant's 
Roman  von  Torcc  (21 21  ff.),  where  a  "Red  Knight"  is  overthrown  by  Torec;  Malory,  Morle 
D' Arthur,  Gareth  and  "Ironsyde"  (Sommer's  ed.,  I,  234  ff.);  etc. 


50  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

Red  Sh. —  Cf.  ii  and  19  below. 

G. — Wanting. 

Conall. — The  hero  overthrew  but  did  not  slay  the  Insulter. 

C  AND  D.   THE  WITCH  AND  THE  RELATIVES  INCIDENTS 

SP . — 7.  The  hero  rode  all  night  [but  in  the  morning  was  back  in  the  same 
place].  8.  He  met  a  Witch,  who  recognized  his  horse  and  arms,  and  thought 
he  was  the  Red  Knight,  her  son.  9.  She  addressed  the  hero,  who  remained 
quiet:  "Had  you  been  slain  and  your  arms  taken  off,  I  could  have  revived 
you."  10.  Then  the  hero  knew  that  burning  the  Knight's  body  had  saved 
his  own  life.  11.  Taking  the  Witch  upon  [her  son's]  spear,  he  cast  her  body 
into  the  iire  that  had  burned  the  son's  body.  12.  After  a  short  ride,  he 
approached  ten  men,  who  fled  from  him,  thinking  him  the  Red  Knight.  13. 
They  were  the  hero's  Uncle  and  his  nine  sons.  14.  When  they  learned  he 
was  not  the  Red  Knight,  they  explained  to  him  the  Knight's  enmity,  and 
then  all  went  to  the  Uncle's  hall,  where  the  hero  was  entertained.  15.  While 
they  were  at  table,  a  messenger  arrived,  announcing  the  plight  of  the  Besieged 
Lady  (Lufamour  in  SP;  Blancheflur  in  C).  16.  The  hero  decided  to  go  to 
the  rescue.  17.  Three  of  his  cousins  started  off  to  accompany  him,  but  he  soon 
sent  them  home,  apparently  without  reason,  and  he  went  on  alone. 

G. — I.  One  day  Perceval  met  four  Young  Men  leaving  a  battlefield  and 
carrying  Gornumant,  their  father,  badly  wounded.  2.  After  being  entertained 
by  Gornumant,  and  hearing  his  story,  the  hero  vowed  to  avenge  him.  3. 
But  he  learned  that  the  enemies  slain  by  day  were  resuscitated  at  night  by  a 
hideous  Hag. 

4.  After  slaying  his  adopted  enemies,  the  hero  lay  down  upon  the  battle- 
field to  sleep.     5.  At  midnight  he  saw  the  Hag  coming — 

Ele  arsist  ausi  come  une  esche 
Se  on  boutast  en  li  le  fu. 

6.  She  had  two  little  barrels  of  magic  ointment  which  would  revive  the  dead. 

7.  After  she  had  restored  four  enemies  to  life,  the  hero  mounted  and  rode  at  her. 

8.  She  recognized  him  and  knew  that  only  he  could  slay  her.  9.  She  explained 
to  him  that  he  could  never  find  the  Grail  so  long  as  she  lived,  that  the  balm 
would  revive  the  dead,  and  that  she  made  war  upon  Gornumant  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  King  of  the  Waste  City  because  Gornumant  had  knighted  Perceval. 
10.  He  struck  off  her  head,  next  had  his  horse  slain  under  him,  and  was  wounded, 
but  slew  the  resuscitated  knights.  11.  He  revived  his  horse,  and  then  the 
best  of  his  enemies,  only  to  slay  him  again.  12.  He  cured  himself,  and  went 
to  the  castle  and  cured  Gornumant.  13.  Promising  to  return  to  Blancheflur 
(niece  of  Gornumant)  and  marry  her,  he  departed. 

Pd{b). — I.  After  slaying  the  Black  Oppressor,  Peredur  rode  to  the  palace 
of  the  Sons  of  the  King  of  Tortures,  entered,  and  found  only  women.  2. 
Presently  a  charger  arrived  bearing  a  corpse  in  the  saddle.     3.  A  woman  took 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  5 1 

the  corpse,  bathed  it  in  warm  water,  placed  balsam  on  it,  and  the  man  rose 
up  whole.  4.  This  was  repeated  for  two  other  men.  5.  Explanation  was 
made  that  all  three  were  slain  once  every  day  by  the  "Addanc." 

6.  Next  morning  the  three  Young  Men  started  off  to  battle.  7.  The  hero 
begged  to  accompany  them,  but  was  told  that  if  he  were  slain  there  would  be 
no  one  to  revive  him.  8.  He  attempted,  nevertheless,  to  follow  them,  but 
they  had  disappeared.  9.  He  met  a  beautiful  woman,  who  accosted  him, 
explained  about  the  Addanc  (a  mysterious  cave-dweller),  and  gave  him  a 
magic  stone  by  means  of  which  to  overcome  the  Addanc — on  condition  that 
he  should  love  her  supremely,  and  seek  her  "toward  India."  [An  incident' 
omitted.]  10.  The  hero  arrived  at  the  cave,  used  his  stone,  pierced  the  Addanc 
with  his  spear,  and  cut  off  the  Addanc's  head.  11.  As  he  left  the  cave,  he  met 
the  three  Young  Men,  who  said  there  was  a  prediction  that  he  would  slay 
"  that  monster."  1 2.  The  hero  refused  the  sister  they  offered  him  in  marriage, 
gave  them  the  Addanc's  head,  and  departed.  [In  two  incidents  the  hero 
befriended  Etlym,  a  knight  who  wore  red  armor  and  rode  a  red  horse.  Then 
he  attended  the  marriage  tournament  of  the  Empress:  cf.  Pd{b)  13,  above.] 

Red  Sh. — [The  hero  traveled  seeking  the  Insulter.  He  leaped  over  a  circle 
of  fire,  and  entered  an  island.  He  found  on  a  hillside  a  beautiful  woman  v.'ith 
the  head  of  a  great  sleeping  youth  on  her  knee.  It  was  hard  to  wake  the 
youth,  but  (according  to  prophecy)  the  hero  roused  him.  The  youth  called 
the  hero  by  his  name  (Red  Sh) — "It  is  this  day  that  thou  has  the  name"; 
and  they  fought  till  the  hero  swept  the  head  off  the  other.  Then  he  took  the 
Lady  to  the  ship;  and  when  he  went  back  into  the  island,  his  treacherous  com- 
panions sailed  away  with  the  Lady  (458-61).]  4.  After  wandering  for  some 
time  in  the  island,  the  hero  drew  near  a  castle,  or  town.  5.  He  saw  three 
Young  Men  coming  heavily,  wearily,  tired  from  a  battlefield.  6.  They  saluted, 
and  all  four  entered  the  town.  7.  That  night  they  slept.  8.  Next  morning 
the  three  Young  Men  began  to  arm  themselves.  9.  They  were  the  hero's 
foster  brothers ;  and  they  told  him  that  for  a  year  and  a  day  they  had  warred 
against  the  Son  of  Darkness,  Son  of  Dimness,  and  a  hundred  people,  but  every 
enemy  slain  one  day  was  alive  the  next.  10.  The  hero  wished  to  go  to  battle 
with  them,  but  learned  they  were  under  a  spell  of  such  a  nature  that  if  he 
fought  he  must  fight  alone  against  all  the  enemies. 

II.  He  went  to  the  battlefield,  and  when  he  had  killed  the  Son  and  all  his 
hundred  people,  being  wounded,  he  lay  down  on  the  field  to  sleep  for  the  night. 
12.  Waked  by  a  great  noise  [and  light?]  from  the  seashore,  he  saw  coming 
a  great,  toothy  Carlin.  13.  She  bent  over  two  corpses,  placed  her  finger  in 
their  mouths,  and  restored  them  to  life.  14.  Next  she  placed  her  finger  in 
the  mouth  of  the  hero,  who  with  a  bite  severed  it;  she  kicked  him  a  long  way 
off,  and  leaned  over  another.     15.  The  hero  took  "her  son's  short  spear" 

'  The  omitted  incident  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  brachet  incident  in  the  "Lay  of  the 
Great  Fool"  and  that  in  the  Wauchier  "Continuation."  On  this  resemblance  cf.  Schofield, 
Stud.,  171  flf. 


52  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

and  struck  off  her  head.  i6.  He  rested  till  he  heard  his  three  foster  brothers 
weeping  and  seeking  him.  17.  They  said  that  if  they  had  the  Carhn's  vessel 
of  balm,  they  could  soon  cure  him.  18.  He  directed  them  to  the  Carlin's  body, 
and  when  they  had  fetched  the  balm  and  anointed  him,  he  rose  cured.  19. 
The  next  day  the  hero  slew  the  personage  who  had  insulted  the  King. 

Red  Sh  Variants.  Variant  a  (cont.). — The  King's  son  went  to  three  houses, 
where  he  found  three  sisters,  each  of  whom  gave  him  a  pair  of  magic  shoes,  which 
returned  home  when  they  had  carried  him  seven  years'  journey  in  one  day.  The 
last  sister  was  young  and  lovely;  she  lowered  him  over  a  rock  in  a  basket  to  fight 
her  brother,  who  was  a  giant  with  three  heads.  He  cut  off  a  head  each  day; 
fired  a  pistol  shot  at  the  foot  of  the  rock  as  a  signal  to  be  hauled  up  each  even- 
ing, for  the  giant  never  fought  after  sunset;  and  he  was  cured  with  a  magic 
balsam  by  the  lady  each  night,  and  went  out  fresh  each  morning.  The  giant's 
head  leaped  on  as  often  as  it  was  cut  off,  but  an  eagle  came  over  the  prince 
and  told  him  to  hold  the  sword  on  the  neck  till  the  marrow  froze,  which  he 
did,  and  the  giant  was  killed.  He  took  the  spoil  from  a  castle,  found  the 
King's  tooth  in  a  drawer,  returned  home  with  the  beautiful  lady,  healed  the 
King,  and  married  the  lady  (Tales,  II,  484-85). 

Variant  b  (cont.). — Campbell  says:  "The  remainder  of  [a  second]  story 
is  nearly  the  same  as  the  Knight  of  the  Red  Shield then  follows  a  differ- 
ent set  of  adventures The  fearful  old  woman,  with  the  marvelous 

teeth;  the  gigantic  warriors,  of  whom  there  are  three  with  many  heads;  and 
three  lovely  ladies,  who  are  found  under  the  ground,  and  carried  off  by  the 
cowards  [the  hero's  two  companions].  The  story  ends  with  the  replacement 
of  the  king's  lost  teeth,  and  the  punishment  of  the  knight  and  the  cook  [the 
companions];  and  [the  hero]  married  the  three  ladies  at  once"  {Tales,  II, 
485-86). 

Variant  c— In  this  variant,  which  Campbell  barely  sketches,  the  story 
appears  to  draw  close  to  Conall.  The  hero  was  Young  Heavenly  Eagle,  son 
of  the  King  of  Greece:  he  married  a  Greek  lady,  and  turned  out  to  be  the  King's 
only  legitimate  son  (Tales,  II,  487). 

Variant  d,  under  the  name  of  "The  Son  of  Green  Spring  by  Valour." — 
The  hero  was  son  of  the  Red  Ridere,  and  went  off  in  a  boat  with  the  King's 
two  sons  to  recover  the  King's  teeth  [apparently  opening  with  the  Insult, 
just  as  does  Red  Sh].  ....  He  had  a  stone  of  victory,  with  which  he  slew 

his  foes He  came  to  a  small  house  where  he  found  no  man,  but  food  for 

three — wine  and  wheaten  loaves.  He  took  a  little  from  each  portion,  and  got 
into  one  of  the  three  beds.  Three  sorely  wounded  men  came  in,  cured  themselves 
with  a  magic  balsam,  and  discovered  him,  and  on  the  morrow  he  went  to  fight 
for  them.  The  three  Young  Men  were  enchanted  princes,  the  rightful  heirs  of 
this  fiery  island,  compelled  for  twenty  years  to  contend  daily  with  armies, 
giants,  and  monsters.  They  had  lost  their  mother,  and  someone  had  stolen 
their  sister,  who  turned  out  to  be  the  lady  whom  the  hero  had  already  rescued. 
They  told  him  what  he  would  have  to  encounter,  but  he  went  on  and  overcame 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE    STORY  53 

everything,  and  his  coming  had  been  foretold.  Armies  of  enchanted  warriors 
fell,  three  giants  with  several  heads,  the  three  harpers  of  the  little  harps,  the 
Son  of  Darkness,  Son  of  Dimness,  and,  worst  of  all,  a  terrible  old  Carlin, 

because  he  was  aided  by  his  victory  stone When  the  old  Carlin  arrived, 

she  came  over  the  sea  with  a  magic  cup  to  revive  the  dead  warriors  and  her 
son.  She  put  her  finger  into  the  hero's  mouth,  and  he  bit  it  off.  He  cut  her 
head  off,  it  leaped  on  again,  he  cut  it  off  again,  and  it  flew  up  into  the  skies; 
he  held  his  sword  on  the  neck,  looked  up,  and  saw  the  head  coming  down  and 
aiming  at  him;  he  leaped  to  one  side,  the  head  went  four  feet  into  the  earth, 
•and  victory  was  gained.  The  three  Young  Men  carried  him  home,  bathed 
him  in  balsam,  and  cured  him.  He  raised  their  father  and  mother  from  the 
dead,  and  they  promised  him  their  daughter  and  realm.  He  recovered  and 
restored  the  King's  teeth,  restored  his  father  to  honor,  and  married  the  fair 
lady,  who  was  daughter  of  the  king  of  the  town  under  the  waves  {Tales,  II, 
491-92). 

Conall. — 4.  After  a  multitude  of  adventures,  Conall  wondered  how  the 
fight  in  the  realm  of  lubhar^  [  =  Judea,  Jewry,  Newry  ?]  was  coming  on  between 
his  mother's  brother  and  the  Turks,  and  if  his  father  and  brothers  [who  had 
gone  to  the  aid  of  the  King  of  lubhar]  were  yet  alive.  5.  He  set  out  to  see, 
with  him  his  wife,  Duanach  (his  minstrel),  and  two  champions  for  friends.  6. 
When  they  reached  the  realm  of  lubhar,  the  fighting  was  going  on.  [7.  Three 
one-day  battles  are  described;  as  the  first  two  are  redundant,  only  the  third 
will  be  summarized.  All  whom  Conall  slew  one  day  were  alive  the  next.  The 
King  of  lubhar  was  brother  to  Conall's  mother.  On  the  evening  of  the  second 
day,  after  the  battle,  the  King  of  lubhar  sought  Conall  at  his  inn,  but  Duanach 
said  he  was  asleep,  and  refused  to  wake  him;  but  he  told  the  King  who  Conall 
was,  and  promised  to  tell  Conall  of  his  Uncle's  visit  and  to  deliver  the  King's 
invitation  to  Conall  to  come  to  the  castle  next  day.]  8.  On  the  third  day  the 
army  of  the  Turks  came  on,  and  Conall  went  with  the  people  of  lubhar  to 
battle.  9.  He  saw  the  big  Turk  come  opposite  him  the  third  time  [he  had 
slain  this  giant(?)  twice  already];  Conall  slew  him,  and  the  Turks  fled.  10. 
The  people  of  lubhar  slaughtered  till  no  more  enemies  were  to  be  found,  and 
then  retired.  11.  "It  seemed  to  Conall  that  there  was  something  that  was  to 
be  understood  going  on  in  the  field  of  battle  in  the  night."  12.  Ordering 
Duanach  back  to  the  inn,  he  stayed  to  watch  the  slain — and  Duanach  stayed 
to  watch  him.  13.  When  the  night  grew  dark,  there  came  a  great  Turkish 
Carlin,  bearing  a  white  glaive  of  light  with  which  she  could  see  seven  miles 
before  her  and  seven  behind  her,  and  a  flask  of  balsam.  14.  She  placed  three 
drops  of  balsam  in  the  mouth  of  a  corpse  and  bade  him  rise  and  go  home;  he 
went.  15.  She  passed  from  one  to  another,  reviving  them  for  the  next  day's 
battle.  16.  She  treated  Conall  in  the  same  way,  but  from  his  alacrity  she  saw 
he  was  not  a  Turk,  and  fled.  17.  Conall  pursued;  she  threw  away  the  flask 
and  the  glaive;  but  he  overtook  her  and  slew  her  with  his  sword.     18.  Using 

'A  variant  gives  "Turkey"  (Campbell,  p.  260,  note). 


54 


SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 


the  glaive  of  light  he  sought  the  balsam,  but  Duanach  had  already  picked  it 
up.  19.  Conall  took  the  flask,  and  gave  the  glaive  to  Duanach,  bidding  him 
lead  off  the  resurrected  Turks  to  destruction.  20.  Conall  put  the  balsam  under 
his  head  and  went  to  sleep,  since  he  could  do  nothing  more  till  he  had  slept. 
21.  Afterward  he  revived  his  own  people,  and  went  about  the  field  seeking  his 
brothers  (whom  he  gave  to  his  two  champion  friends  to  take  to  safety).  22. 
The  great  Turk  came  to  him  on  hands  and  knees.  23.  Conall  found  his  father 
and  the  King  of  Laidheann  imprisoned  and  fettered.  24.  The  death  the  great 
Turk  had  measured  out  for  them,  to  that  Conall  doomed  the  Turk.  25. 
After  that  Conall  returned  to  his  wife  and  took  her  home  with  his  father  and 
brothers,  and  all  were  welcomed  by  his  mother  (285-93). 

SP  and  C  show,  as  has  been  said,  certain  significant  agreements 
that  lock  them  closely  together.  They  tell  the  same  story,  with 
this  limitation,  that  SP  has  added  some  parts  that  were  not  in  the 
original  story  or  that  C  has  lost  some  that  were. 

C,  W,  and  Pd{a)  tell  one  and  the  same  story. 

SP  agrees  with  Red  Sh,  G,  Pd{b),  and  Conall  and  they  agree 
one  with  another,  in  so  many  points,  great  and  small,  as  to  show  that 
they  preserve  the  same  story. 

SP  mediates  between  the  group  of  the  first  three  accounts  on 
the  one  side  and  the  group  of  the  last  four  accounts  on  the  other. 
The  four  incidents — A,  the  Knight's  Insult;  B,  his  Death;  C,  the 
Witch's  Death,  and  D,  the  Meeting  with  the  Uncle  (relatives)' — 
appear,  in  so  far  as  they  occur,  in  sequence  as  follows: 


C,  W,  Pd{a 

SP 

RedSh 

G 

Pd{h) 

Conall .... 


A 

B 

D 

A 

B 

C 

D 

A 

D 
D 

C 
C 

B 

D 

C 

A 

A 

B 

C 

D 

•  ■ 

B 


The  subjoined  table  shows  that  in  the  tales  of  this  set  there  is 
incorporated  a  single  story — the  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  story — 
and  that,  though  it  appears  with  several  variations  or  as  several 
variants,  it  is  at  bottom  one  and  the  same  story.     The  table  shows 

■  In  the  comment  on  this  incident  (p.  68,  infra),  it  will  be  shown  that  it  fell  into  two  parts 
in  the  early  form  of  the  story,  a  meeting  before,  and  one  after,  the  battle.  In  the  Perceval 
tale  and  in  Conall,  only  the  second  visit  appears,  though  a  modification  of  even  this  statement 
is  necessary  for  SP. 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE    STORY 


55 


that  though  the  sequence  of  incidents  changes  from  tale  to  tale, 
the  sequence  of  items  within  each  incident  is  much  the  same. 


SP 

RedSh 

G 

P<f(6) 

Conall 

A.  A  Knight  insults  the  King 

B.  The  hero  slays  the  Insulter 

He  spends  the  night  on  the 
jattlefield 

1-5 
6 

7 
8 
8 
9 

II 

II 
12-13 

12-13 

12 
14 

14 
[16] 

17 

1-3 
19 

II 

12 

II 

13-14 

15 

15 
(12?) 

5 

5 
6-8 

9 

10 

10 

10 

4 

[8-9] 

6-7 

8-9 

10 

(10?) 

(5?) 

I 

I 

[i] 
2 

2 
2-3 
(3?) 

3 

(13-16) 

(17-18? 

or  I?) 

6,  ID 

9-10 

3 

II 

10-12 

1-4 

[5] 
5-6 

6 

7 
7-8 

8 

1-2 

3 
II— 12 

C.  He  encounters  the  Witch .  . 
Whose  Son  is  mentioned. 

The  Magic  Balm 

The  prophecy' 

13 

13-1S 
? 

The  Witch's  death 

By  her  Son's  spear .... 
The  burning  of  the  Witch. . 
D.  The  hero  meets  the  Uncle.. 
Or  (and)  the  Three  Young 

Men^ 

Who    are    retiring    from 
battle      against      the 
Witch's  Son 

16-17 

(13?) 
(7) 

(7) 

(7,9) 
(7) 

(4) 
(5) 

They  entertain  the  hero .  .  . 
And  tell  the  story  of  their 
enmity    .... 

The  hero  offers  to  aid  them 

But  because  of  a  spell 

He  must  fight  the  battle 
alone 

'  A  prophecy  occurs  within  the  story  in  both  SP  and  Red  Sh,  but  at  a  different  place;  cf.  "5  "  in  SP. 

'In  Conall  the  Big  Turk  is  probably  the  Hag's  son;  there  is  no  statement.  Conall's  father  and 
brothers  are  substitutes  for  the  three  Young  Men.  The  story  of  the  Turk's  enmity  is  known  to  Conall 
before  he  leaves  home.  He  does  not  meet  his  Relatives  before  the  battle,  but  he  wins  the  battle  for  them. 
He  does  not  fight  alone.    His  meeting  with  his  Uncle  is  the  "second"  one. 


THE   SECOND    SET   OF   TALES 

First  Group  {see  p.  41,  supra) 

Florin's  Ransom  [a  variant  of  Red  Sh]. — Fionn  was  with  "his  three  foster 
brothers,  the  Red  Knight,  the  Knight  of  the  Cairn,  and  the  Knight  of  the 
Sword,"  on  a  hill.  Out  of  a  shower  from  the  northwest  came  a  rider  on  a  black 
horse.  He  knocked  out  the  three  upper  and  three  lower  of  Florin's  teeth. 
The  foster  brothers  started  off  to  recover  them. 

A  Uttle,  insignificant,  but  strong  man  appeared,  asked  permission  to  accom- 
pany them,  was  refused  it  by  the  brothers,  but  was  granted  it  by  Fionn.  \Vhile 
sailing,  the  man  climbed  the  mast  when  the  others  had  failed.  They  came  to  a 
harbor  in  the  "Kingdom  of  Big  Men"  guarded  by  three  Fiery  Darts  that 
gleamed  all  around  it.  The  little  man  leaped  over  the  fire,  then  returned,  and, 
carrying  the  travelers,  leaped  over  it  again. 


56  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

Walking  in  the  island,  they  found  a  tall  woman  with  a  brown,  fat,  little 
lap-dog  at  her  heels;  when  the  dog  looked  at  Fionn,  his  teeth  were  in  place; 
when  he  looked  away,  the  teeth  were  gone.  Taking  woman  and  dog,  the  foster 
brothers  went  back  to  the  ship,  and  left  the  little  man  on  the  island. 

He  came  to  a  small  dwelling-house,  and  entered.  A  tall  man  returned 
home,  and  to  a  salutation  and  inquiry  announced:  "My  news  are  but  sorrow- 
ful, for  my  beautiful  sister,  who  used  to  put  me  in  the  bath  when  I  returned 
home  from  fighting  the  battle,  and  made  me  as  cheerful  as  ever  to  go  to  battle 
and  combat  the  next  day,  has  been  taken  away,  and  is  lost  and  astray  from  me." 
The  little  man  washed  him  in  the  washing-bath,  so  that  he  never  felt  more 
refreshed  or  joyful.  The  same  happened  for  a  second  and  a  third  man  (broth- 
ers of  the  first).  The  Uttle  man  asked  if  he  might  go  to  battle  in  their  place, 
and  was  refused.  Explanation  was  made:  a  regiment  of  soldiers  would  come, 
and  though  he  beheaded  each  one,  a  Hag  would  come  after  him  with  a  Ufe- 
restoring  stoup  and  dip  her  finger  in  that  and  put  the  finger  in  the  mouths  of 
the  men,  and  each  would  spring  up  alive.  Then  would  come  a  regiment  of 
soldiers  with  musical  harpers  at  its  head  who  would  put  him  to  sleep.  Then  a 
tall  man  of  terrific  aspect;  and  after  him  would  come  an  old  woman  whose 
breath  would  kill. 

The  little  man  obtained  permission  to  go  to  battle.  He  hid  till  the  first 
regiment  passed,  then  rose  and  slew  each  one.  The  Hag  arrived,  restored  a 
soldier,  and  came  to  the  hero,  who  bit  off  her  finger.  He  rose  and  slew  her 
and  the  restored  soldier  by  one  stroke.  The  harpers  came;  the  hero  fixed  his 
sword  so  that  the  point  would  prick  his  forehead  if  he  nodded.  When  the 
soldiers  had  past,  he  rose  and  slew  all.  He  dug  a  hole  and  covered  it  over 
with  wood,  grass,  and  moss.  The  Big  Grey  Man  came.  The  hero  so  con- 
ducted his  fight  that  the  Big  Grey  Man  fell  into  the  hole;  then  the  Uttle  man 
cut  off  his  head.  The  Old  Woman  came,  and  she  and  the  hero  fought  till 
both  fell  exhausted.  In  the  morning  the  brothers  came  to  the  battlefield, 
and  at  the  hero's  request  placed  balsam  in  his  mouth;  thus  reinvigorated  he 
rose  and  slew  the  Old  Woman. 

The  hero  went  home  with  the  brothers  and  Hved  with  them  for  a  while. 
One  day  when  the  hero  was  on  a  hill,  the  rider  on  the  black  steed  came 
out  of  a  shower  and  attacked  him,  but  had  his  head  cut  off.  The  hero 
found  on  this  rider  only  two  combs  and  a  purse  in  which  were  Fionn's 
teeth.  He  took  the  teeth  and  returned  to  the  brothers'  home.  The  tallest 
brother  lamented,  telling  the  hero  he  had  slain  their  father's  only  brother. 
Another  said:  "It  has  long  been  foretold  that  it  would  be  the  restorer  of 
Fionn  MacCumhail's  loss  who  would  give  us  deliverance  from  all  our  warfare 
and  conflict." 

The  hero  decided  to  leave.  The  brothers  gave  him  the  Black  Steed. 
"And  you  will  bring  to  our  sister  news  of  us,  and  make  her  your  lawful  wife." 
He  returned  and  restored  Fionn's  teeth. 

The  Champion  of  the  Red  Belt.—Tht  Champion  was  traveling  from  Greece 


THE   RED   KNIGHT- WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  57 

in  search  of  the  "heahng  water"  to  restore  his  brother,  who  had  lost  his  life 
through  the  enchantment  of  the  harper,  who  had  played  a  tune  that  put  him 
to  sleep,  after  which  the  King  of  the  Eastern  World  had  slain  him. 

The  Champion  went  toward  the  Eastern  World.  He  came  to  a  ten-foot 
fence,  and  leaped  it.  There  were  the  "three  sons  of  Kanikinn,"  playing  ball. 
They  told  the  Champion  that  the  King  Knight  of  the  black  castle  had  taken 
the  healing  water  from  them  seven  years  before;  and  now  he  killed  three 
hundred  men  every  day.  They  told  the  Champion  he  had  best  not  go  to  the 
black  castle.  [Thus  the  enmity  to  the  Three  Young  Men  is  obscured.]  The 
Champion  came  to  a  black  castle.  He  heard  a  noise  and  jumped  behind  a 
barrel  to  hide.  Light  burst  from  the  castle  door;  the  knight  of  the  castle 
arrived  home,  hung  his  sword  on  a  peg,  and  took  off  his  coat  of  steel.  The 
Champion  challenged  him;  the  knight  replied  that  they  would  not  fight  till 
morning,  invited  the  Champion  in,  and  promised  him  safety,  saying  he  had 
talked  with  no  one  for  seven  years.  The  Champion  requested  the  "bottle  of 
healing  water,"  and  was  told  that  the  knight's  stepmother  had  taken  it  seven 
years  before.  Every  day  the  knight  has  had  to  kill  three  hundred  men,  and 
the  stepmother  ("hag  of  sorceries")  brought  them  to  life  again.  Conversa- 
tion revealed  the  fact  that  the  knight  of  the  black  castle  was  the  Champion's 
youngest  brother,  lost  at  the  time  of  birth.  [Here  the  kinship  comes  in — the 
youngest  brother  is  substituted  for  the  Three  Young  Men  who  are  foster 
brothers.]  The  Champion  asked  permission  to  do  the  fighting  next  day  instead 
of  the  knight,  and  finally  was  allowed  to  go. 

He  slew  the  three  hundred  men.  "Then  he  lay  down  among  the  dead  men 
to  see  what  it  was  brought  them  to  life."  The  hideous  hag  came  with  a  bottle 
of  the  water  of  healing  on  a  button  that  was  on  her  breast.  There  was  a  feather 
in  the  bottle;  with  the  feather  she  rubbed  a  corpse,  and  the  man  came  aUve. 
She  restored  nine,  whom  the  Champion  slew.  Then  he  and  the  hag  fought. 
He  finally  slew  her  by  striking  off  her  head,  and  took  the  bottle  of  healing  water. 
Wlien  dying,  the  hag  put  him  imder  spells  to  meet  the  three  hundred  cats. 
He  went  to  meet  the  cats,  and  told  of  the  death  of  the  three  hundred  men  and 
the  one-legged  hag.  He  slew  the  cats,  and  by  the  last  one  was  put  under 
spells  to  fight  the  Wether  of  Fuerish  Fwee-ere.  He  sought  and  slew  the  Wether, 
who  put  him  under  spells  to  meet  the  king  cat  of  the  Western  Island  [who  was, 
however,  a  hag].  "He  went  forward  in  the  camp."  He  met  the  king  cat, 
and  they  fought.  She  [the  hag]  had  a  long  tail  with  a  poison  spot  on  it.  She 
jumped  over  him,  put  the  poison  spot  through  his  heart,  and  then  with  the 
claw  on  the  end  of  her  tail  she  drew  the  heart  out  of  him.  As  the  Champion 
was  falling,  he  thrust  his  hand  through  her  open  mouth  and  drew  out  her  heart. 
The  two  fell  dead. 

The  king  knight  of  the  black  castle  followed  to  see  how  his  brother  should 
fare.  He  found  the  slain  and  followed  on.  He  came  to  the  bodies  of  his 
brother  and  his  stepmother.  "A  lump  of  mist  came"  and  told  him  which 
was  the  Champion's  heart;   he  washed  it,  fixed  it  in  his  brother,  found  the 


58  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

bottle  of  healing  water,  dipped  the  feather  in  it,  and  rubbed  his  brother's 
mouth;  and  the  Champion  rose  up  alive  and  well. 

The  Champion  provided  a  wife  for  the  knight;  returned,  restored  the 
bewitched  brother,  and  provided  him  a  wife,  the  daughter  of  the  King  of 
Underwaveland.  Then  he  went  to  the  island  of  the  King  of  Greece,  and  there 
he  married  the  King's  daughter. 

Hookedy. — Jack  was  son  of  the  King  of  Ireland.  Seeking  his  fortune,  he 
took  service  with  a  giant,  who,  going  from  home,  gave  Jack  the  run  of  the  whole 
place  except  the  stable.  Jack  entered  the  forbidden  place,  and,  though  pun- 
ished for  doing  so,  was  led  thereby  into  his  further  adventures.  A  mare  and  a 
bear  found  in  the  stable  befriended  him.  On  the  mare  he  fled,  the  giant  pur- 
suing. A  chestnut  and  a  drop  of  water  (each  taken  from  the  mare's  ear) 
thrown  behind  him  by  Jack  interposed  barriers  the  giant  could  not  overcome. 
Jack,  mare,  and  bear  came  to  safety;  as  they  parted,  the  mare  blew  on  Jack, 
and  he  became  an  ugly  little  hookedy-crookedy  fellow;  then  she  gave  him  a 
wishing-cap,  promised  aid,  and  they  departed.  Jack  took  service  with  a 
King  of  Scotland,  who  did  not  fear  Jack's  influence  over  his  daughters,  he  was 
so  ugly.  The  King  of  Scotland  was  threatened  with  war  by  the  King  of  the 
East.  Advised  by  his  druid,  the  King  of  Scotland  sought  aid  by  marrying  his 
daughters,  the  oldest  to  the  King  of  Spain,  the  next  to  the  King  of  France.  The 
youngest  daughter  refused  to  marry  at  all,  and  was  banished  the  royal  presence. 

The  Kling  of  Scotland  then  sent  the  Kings  of  Spain  and  France  to  the  Well 
of  the  World's  End  to  bring  bottles  of  "loca"  [a  liquid  that  would  heal  wounds 
and  revive  the  dead]  to  use  after  the  battle.  Jack  sought  advice  of  the  mare, 
used  his  wishing-cap,  and  of  course,  got  the  "loca,"  two  bottles  of  it.  He  kept 
some  of  it,  and  gave  the  rest  to  the  Kings  of  France  and  Spain,  who  returned 
to  the  King  of  Scotland  and  were  welcomed  as  heroes;  Jack  returned  to  his 
humble  duties  as  gardener's  help.  Battle  was  prepared.  Jack  went  to  the 
mare,  secured  arms  and  equipment,  won  the  battle  for  Scotland,  and  dis- 
appeared. The  second  and  third  days  were  similar,  Jack  appearing  finer  each 
day.  The  loca  revived  the  Scottish  army.  After  further  mystification  of 
his  friends.  Jack  explained  the  whole  matter,  and  married  the  youngest  daughter. 
The  mare  was  disappointed,  for  she  was  a  maiden  condemned  (bewitched) 
to  that  shape  for  a  number  of  years,  and  her  brother  was  the  bear.  She  had 
hoped  to  marry  Jack  herself,  but  she  wished  him  well. 

Second  Group 

Fear  Dubh. — Fear  Dubh  invited  the  Fenians  to  a  feast  at  his  castle  in  Alba; 
and  when  they  were  seated,  they  could  not  rise  from  their  seats.  Fear  Dubh 
was  coming  with  an  army  to  slay  them — "These  men  from  Alba  had  always  a 
grudge  against  the  Champions  of  Erin."  The  horn  of  distress  was  sounded. 
Fin's  son  Fialan,  only  three  years  old,  rose  in  Jreland  and  came  to  aid  his 
father. 


THE   RED   KNIGHT- WITCH-UNCLE    STORY  59 

Instructed  by  Fin,  Fialan  took  his  place  in  the  ford,  and  when  Fear  Dubh 
and  his  army  arrived,  he  slew  them  all;  a  second  army  under  Fear  Dubh's 
younger  brother  fared  hkewise;  a  third  under  the  youngest  brother  also.  Diar- 
muid,  who  had  been  hunting,  came  to  Fin's  aid.  Through  the  castle  door,  Fin 
told  him:  "Oh,  Diarmuid,  we  are  all  fastened  in  here  to  be  killed.  Fialan  has 
destroyed  three  armies,  and  Fear  Dubh  with  his  two  brothers.  He  is  raging 
now  along  the  bank  of  the  river;  you  must  not  go  near  him,  for  he  would  tear 
you  hmb  from  limb.  At  this  time,  he  wouldn't  spare  me,  his  own  father; 
but  after  a  while  he  will  cease  from  raging  and  die  down;  and  then  you  can  go. 
The  mother  of  Fear  Dubh  is  coming,  and  will  soon  be  at  the  ford.  She  is  more 
violent,  more  venomous,  more  to  be  dreaded,  a  greater  warrior  than  her  sons. 
The  chief  weapon  she  has  are  [sic]  the  nails  on  her  fingers;  each  nail  is  seven 
perches  long,  of  the  hardest  steel  on  earth.  She  is  coming  in  the  air  at  this 
moment  with  the  speed  of  the  hawk,  and  she  has  a  kur'an  (a  small  vessel), 
with  liquor  in  it,  which  has  such  power  that  if  she  puts  three  drops  of  it  on  the 
mouths  of  her  sons  they  will  rise  up  as  well  as  ever;  and  if  she  brings  them  to 
life  there  is  nothing  to  save  us.  Go  to  the  ford;  she  will  be  hovering  over  the 
corpses  of  the  three  armies  to  know  can  she  find  her  sons,  and  as  soon  as  she 
sees  them  she  will  dart  down  and  give  them  the  Hquor.  You  must  rise  with  a 
mighty  bound  upon  her,  dash  the  kur'an  out  of  her  hand  and  spill  the  liquor. 
If  you  can  kill  her,  save  her  blood,  for  nothing  in  the  world  can  free  us  from  this 
place  and  open  the  door  of  the  castle  but  the  blood  of  the  old  Hag."  .... 
Aided  in  the  fight  by  Bran  (Fin's  dog)  Diarmuid  succeeded. 

He  caught  the  Hag's  blood  in  a  vessel,  and  with  it  cured  his  own  wounds 
and  Bran's,  and  released  the  Fenians. 

Fin  MacCumhail  and  the  Son  of  the  King  of  Alba. — [This  tale  contains 
almost  a  repetition  of  the  preceding  adventure.]  Fin  and  his  followers,  stuck 
to  their  seats  in  a  magic  castle,  were  released  by  Pogan  and  Ceolan.  Fin's  two 
sons  [  =  substitutes  for  Fialan].  They  slew  an  army;  then  came  music;  then 
the  Hag  with  a  little  pot  [of  balsam],  and  she  was  slain.  Then  the  heroes  had 
to  slay  three  kings  in  the  north  of  Erin,  for  only  by  the  blood  of  the  kings  could 
they  release  Fin  and  his  company  (J.  Curtin,  Myths,  etc.,  292-303). 

Kennedy  {Bardic  Stories,  116-26)  has  a  variant  of  the  last  tale  in  "An 
Bruighean  Caorthain  (The  Quick-Beam  Fort)."  Lochlann,  a  Grecian  chief, 
the  King  of  the  World,  and  three  Kings  of  the  Islands  of  the  Floods  are  among 
Fin's  enemies;  but  the  Hag  and  her  Balm  do  not  appear. 

Third  Group 

Faolan. — Faolan  and  Dyeermud  traveled  days  till  they  came  to  a  large, 
white-fronted  castle.  They  knocked,  and  were  admitted  by  a  fine  young 
woman,  who  kissed  Faolan  and  said:  "You  and  I  were  born  at  the  same  hour, 
and  betrothed  at  our  birth.  Your  mother  married  Fin  to  rescue  her  brothers, 
your  uncles,  from  the  bonds  of  enchantment."     They  sat  down  to  eat  and 


6o  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

drink;  and  they  were  not  long  eating  when  in  came  four  champions,  all  torn, 
cut,  and  bleeding.  Dyeermud  started  up,  sword  in  hand.  "Have  no  fear," 
said  she  to  Dyeermud.  The  four  champions  explained:  they  were  returning 
from  battle  with  a  wild  hag,  who  for  seven  years  had  been  trying  to  take  their 
land  from  them.  All  the  warriors  they  slew  in  the  day  she  raised  up  at  night. 
And  they  would  have  to  fight  again  the  next  day.  Dyeermud  bade  them 
stay  at  home  next  day,  and  he  and  Faolan  would  do  battle  for  them. 

Faolan  and  Dyeermud  went  out,  began  at  opposite  ends  of  the  host  in 
the  morning,  and  met  at  the  middle  at  sunset,  slaying  all  the  hag's  warriors. 
"Go  back  to  the  castle,"  said  Faolan  to  Dyeermud;  "I  will  rest  here  tonight, 
and  see  what  gives  life  to  the  corpses."     Dyeermud  left. 

About  midnight,  Faolan  heard  the  voice  of  a  man  in  the  air  just  above  him. 
"Is  there  anyone  living?"  asked  the  voice.  Faolan,  with  a  bound,  grasped 
the  man,  and,  drawing  him  down  with  one  hand,  pierced  him  through  with  his 
sword  in  the  other.  The  man  fell  dead;  and  then,  instead  of  the  old  man  he 
seemed  at  first,  he  rose  up  a  fresh  young  man  of  twenty-two  years.  The 
young  man  embraced  and  thanked  Faolan.  "I  am  your  uncle,"  said  he, 
"brother  of  the  poisonous  hound  that  you  freed  from  enchantment  at  sea. 
I  was  fourteen  years  in  the  power  of  the  wild  hag,  and  could  not  be  freed  till 
my  father's  sword  pierced  me.  Give  me  that  sword,  which  belonged  to  my 
father.  It  was  to  deliver  me  that  your  mother  gave  you  that  blade.  I  will 
give  you  a  better  one  still,  since  you  are  a  greater  champion  than  I.  I  will 
give  you  my  grandfather's  sword;  here  it  is.  When  the  wild  hag  grows 
uneasy  at  my  delay,  she  herself  will  hasten  hither.  She  knew  that  you  were 
to  come  and  release  me,  and  she  is  preparing  this  long  time  to  meet  you.  For 
seven  years  she  has  been  making  steel  nails  to  tear  you  to  pieces;  and  she  has 
sweet  music  which  she  wiU  play  when  she  sees  you:  that  music  makes  every 
man  sleep  when  he  hears  it.  When  you  feel  the  sleep  coming,  stab  your  leg 
with  your  sword;  that  wiU  keep  you  awake  [no  Harpers  occur].  She  will 
then  give  you  battle;  and  if  you  chance  to  cut  oH  her  head,  let  not  the  head 
come  to  the  body:  for  if  it  comes  on  the  body,  all  the  world  could  not  take  it 
away.  When  you  cut  off  her  head,  grasp  it  in  one  hand,  and  hold  it  till  all  the 
blood  flows  out;  make  two  halves  of  the  head,  holding  it  in  your  hand  all  the 
while;  and  I  will  remove  the  stone  cover  from  a  very  deep  well  here  at  hand; 
and  do  you  throw  the  split  head  into  that  well,  and  put  the  cover  on  again." 

All  happened  as  the  uncle  had  said.  But  just  as  Faolan  was  going^to  cover 
the  well,  the  head  spoke,  and  put  him  under  spells  to  go  teU  the  Cat  of  Gray 
Fort  that  he  had  destroyed  the  hag.  The  uncle  embraced  Faolan  then,  and 
said:  "Now  I  will  go  to  my  sister,  your  mother;  but  first  I  will  guide  you  to 
this  hag's  enchanted  well:  if  you  bathe  in  its  water,  you  will  be  as  sound  and 
well  as  ever."  Faolan  bathed  and  was  cured.  Then,  not  calling  Dyeermud, 
he  went  to  seek  the  Cat.  He  killed  the  Cat,  and  was  sent  to  tell  the  Kitten  of 
Cul  MacKip  of  the  deed.  He  went  to  seek  the  Kitten.  Toward  evening, 
he  saw  a  castle,  went  toward  it,  and  entered  it.    When  inside  he  saw  half  a 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  6l 

loaf  of  barley  bread  and  a  quart  of  ale  placed  on  the  window.  "Whoever 
own  these,  I  will  use  them,"  said  the  youth;  he  ate,  and  then  saw  a  kitten  by 
the  ashes.  After  a  battle  of  a  night  and  a  day,  he  slew  the  Kitten;  and  was 
put  under  spells  to  tell  the  Dun  Ox.  He  went  on,  met  a  forester,  who  welcomed 
him,  and  directed  him  and  explained  how  the  Dun  Ox  was  to  be  slain.  Faolan 
encountered  the  Ox,  and  both  he  and  the  Ox  were  slain. 

"Dyeermud  slept  a  hero's  sleep  of  seven  days  and  seven  nights."  He 
waked,  heard  no  tidings  of  Faolan,  and,  furious,  set  off  to  seek  him.  Faolan's 
betrothed  and  her  four  brothers  accompanied  him.  The  young  woman  was  the 
wise  one  and  the  leader.  They  followed  Faolan's  trail  of  slaughter  tiU  they 
met  the  forester,  who  recognized  Dyeermud.  The  six  spent  the  night  at  his 
cabin,  and  next  morning  they  found  Faolan.  "The  young  woman  bathed  him 
with  some  fluid  from  a  vial,  and,  opening  his  mouth,  poured  the  rest  down  his 
throat.  He  rose  up  at  once,  as  sound  and  healthy  as  ever."  ....  The  forester 
directed  them  to  the  castle  of  the  Black-Blue  Giant,  and  accompanied  them. 

[Other  adventures  occur  that  have  no  bearing  here.] 

Dyeermud  was  sorely  wounded,  but  was  healed  by  the  forester,  who  rubbed 
ointment  on  him.  Later  Dyeermud,  by  request,  cut  off  the  head  of  the  forester, 
and  thus  restored  him  to  youth;  and  he  was  Arthur,  son  of  Deara,  under 
enchantment,  and  he  was  in  love  with  Dyeermud's  sister.  All  visited  Erin 
and  returned,  and  then  Faolan  married  the  sister  of  the  four  Young  Men. 
End  follows  soon. 

Manus. —  ....  Manus  entered  a  room  in  a  brilliantly  lighted  building,  and 
there  found  food  set  out  for  twelve  champions;  he  tasted  some  of  each  portion, 
and  hid  himself;  but  he  was  discovered  soon  after  the  Big  Men  entered.  The 
Red-haired  Man  (the  leader)  shortly  afterward  explained  why  he  could  not  sleep. 
For  seven  years  he  had  contended  against  three  big  giants,  their  mother,  and 
their  hosts  of  thousands;  those  slain  in  the  day  came  alive  at  night.  There 
was  a  prophecy  that  this  state  of  things  would  last  till  the  coming  of  Manus, 
son  of  the  King  of  Lochlann  (and  son,  also,  of  the  sister  of  the  Red-haired  Man). 

By  telling  a  story,  Manus  put  the  Red-haired  Man  to  sleep;  then  he  took 
the  Man's  sword,  went  to  the  battlefield,  and  lay  down  among  the  dead. 
[Manus  had  not  fought.]  One  after  another,  three  five-headed  giants  came, 
prepared  to  raise  the  dead  by  placing  a  finger  in  the  corpse's  mouth,  reached 
Manus,  recognized  him  when  he  bit  their  fingers  (the  last  two  speaking  of  the 
prophecy),  wrestled  with  him,  and  then  were  slain.  Each  giant  bore  "a 
reviving  cordial "  to  waken  and  bring  alive  the  dead.  When  day  was  approach- 
ing, the  hag  came,  recognized  Manus,  and  engaged  in  battle  with  him.  When  he 
struck  off  her  head,  it  flew  back  on,  till  a  voice  told  him  to  hold  his  sword  on 
the  neck  tUl  blood  and  marrow  froze.  He  did  so;  and  aU  the  giants  were  now 
destroyed.  Harpers  came,  but  he  slew  them  with  their  own  harps.  He  lay 
down  upon  the  battlefield. 

In  the  morning  the  Red-haired  Man  sought  and  found  Manus,  took  him 
home,  and  later  helped  him  in  his  next  adventure 


62  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

Big  Men. — Substitute  for  the  Insult:  three  Champions  from  the  King- 
dom of  Big  Men  came  to  Erin  in  a  boat  hke  "the  blackness  of  a  shower"; 
they  challenged  Fin,  but  he  put  them  under  spells  to  remain  where  they  were 
till  his  return. 

Fin  went  to  the  Kingdom  of  Big  Men  and  was  taken  by  the  King  to  be  his 
dwarf.     The  King  had  to  go  away  each  night. 

Fin  secured  permission  to  go  in  the  King's  place  one  night The 

King's  opponent  was  a  Monster.  Fin  put  the  Monster  off  for  two  nights. 
Next  night  Fin,  with  the  help  of  Bran,  slew  the  Monster,  cut  off  its  head,  and 
took  it  home.  Next  night  he  did  the  same  for  a  still  greater  Monster.  On  the 
last  night  he  slew  the  Hag,  who  like  her  son  and  husband,  the  Monsters,  came 
up  from  the  sea.  There  was  a  prophecy,  said  the  King,  that  only  Fin  could 
bring  relief  from  these  creatures,  who  had  long  harassed  the  Kingdom. 

Fin  returned  home,  succeeded  by  the  help  of  Skilful  Companions  in  stealing 
the  magic  shirts  from  the  Three  Champions,  and  then  overcame  them  and 
forced  them  to  swear  fealty  to  him. 

Fionn  and  Bran. — Much  of  the  incident  outlined  above  recurs.  The  King 
has  not  been  able  to  sleep  for  seventeen  years;  and  the  second  Monster  and  the 
Hag  do  not  occur  (J.  G.  Campbell,  The  Fians,  212-18). 

Dough. — .  .  .  .  Amadan  was  forced  by  his  stepmother  to  leave  home. 
He  traveled  till  he  came  to  a  castle,  entered,  found  dinner  spread,  and  ate. 
Three  young  men  entered,  tired  and  bleeding;   they  struck  a  iJint  against  the 

castle,  and  the  castle  shone  as  if  on  fire They  had  daily  to  fight  three 

giants. 

Amadan  and  they  went  to  battle.  The  giants  were  slain;  Amadan  sent  the 
princes  home,  and  he  lay  down  upon  the  battlefield.  The  Hag  came,  accom- 
panied by  four  badachs  (unwieldy  big  fellows),  and  bearing  a  feather  and  a  bottle 
of  iocshlainte  (ointment  of  health).  She  revived  the  giants;  then  Amadan  slew 
all  eight.  By  the  geasa  of  the  Hag  and  of  successive  victims,  he  had  to  seek 
and  slay  the  Black  Bull  of  the  Brown  Wood,  the  White  Wether  of  the  Hill  of 
Waterfalls,  the  Beggarman  of  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  the  Silver  Cat  of  the 
Seven  Glens.  After  he  left  the  Hag,  he  came  to  a  cottage  covered  by  only  a 
single  feather,  where  he  found  "a  rough  red  woman,"  and  from  her  he  had 
full  directions  how  to  meet  and  slay  each  new  antagonist. 

After  aU  his  enemies  had  been  slain,  he  traveled  back  to  the  "Castle  of 
Fire";  and  the  princes  gave  him  their  sister,  extremely  beautiful,  for  wife,  and 
half  their  fortune. 

The  rough,  red  woman  disappears;  she  is  not  said  to  be  kin  to  anybody, 
hero  or  princess.     Compare  the  Empress  in  Pd{h) . 

Kit  Arthur. —  ....  Arthur  overcame  a  giant,  who  to  save  his  life  offered 
Arthur  his  sword  of  light,  rod  of  enchantment,  and  "healing  draught  which 
cures  every  sickness  and  wound."  Arthur  received  the  gifts,  but  struck  off 
the  giant's  head  anyway.  He  thrust  the  head  in  the  fire,  and  as  soon  as  he  did, 
a  beautiful  woman  stood  before  him,  and  said:   "You  have  killed  nine  of  my 


THE   RED    KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  63 

brothers,  and  this  was  the  best  of  the  nine.  I  have  eight  more  brothers  who 
go  out  to  fight  with  four  hundred  men  each  day,  and  they  kill  them  all;  but 
next  morning  the  four  hundred  are  alive  again,  and  my  brothers  have  to 
do  battle  anew.  Now  my  mother  and  these  eight  brothers  will  soon  be  here; 
and  they'll  go  down  on  their  bended  knees  and  curse  you  who  killed  my  nine 
brothers,  and  I  am  afraid  your  blood  will  arise  within  you  when  you  hear  the 
curses,  and  you'll  kill  my  remaining  eight  brothers."  Arthur  promised  he 
would  not.    All  happened  as  foretold. 

Next  morning  he  arose  early,  girded  on  his  nine-edged  sword,  went  to  where 
the  eight  brothers  were  going  to  fight  the  four  hundred,  and  said  to  them:  "Sit 
down,  and  I'll  fight  in  your  place."  He  fought,  and  at  midday  he  had  them  all 
slain.  "Now  someone  brings  these  to  life  again,"  he  said.  "I  he  down  among 
them  and  see  who  it  is."  Soon  he  saw  an  old  Hag  coming  with  a  brush  in  her 
hand,  and  an  open  vessel  hanging  from  her  neck  by  a  string.  When  she  came 
to  the  four  hundred,  she  dipped  the  brush  into  the  vessel  and  sprinkled  the 
liquid  which  was  in  it  over  the  bodies  of  the  men.  They  rose  up  behind  her 
as  she  passed  along.  "Bad  luck  to  you,"  said  Arthur;  "your  are  the  one  that 
keeps  them  alive!"  Then  he  seized  her;  putting  one  of  his  feet  on  her  two 
ankles,  and  grasping  her  by  the  head  and  shoulders,  he  twisted  her  body  till 
he  put  the  hfe  out  of  her.  Dying,  she  put  him  under  spells  to  tell  the  Ram  of 
the  Five  Rocks  of  the  deed.  He  went  to  the  Ram,  seized  it,  and  dashed  its 
brains  out. 

Then  he  went  to  the  castle  of  the  beautiful  woman  whose  nine  brothers 
he  had  kiUed,  and  for  whose  eight  brothers  he  had  slain  the  four  hundred. 
When  he  appeared,  the  mother  rejoiced;  the  eight  brothers  blessed  him  and 
gave  him  their  sister  in  marriage;  and  Kil  Arthur  took  the  beautiful  woman  to 
his  father's  castle  in  Erin,  where  they  both  lived  happily  and  well. 

Mananaun.^ — Pampogue,  daughter  of  Mananaun,  loved  Kaytuch,  who  was 
slain;  she  took  his  body  and  sailed  to  an  island,  where  every  evening  she  saw 
two  men  carry  by  a  dead  man,  and  in  the  morning  three  live  men  returned. 
One  of  them  explained  to  her:  "When  my  father  and  mother  were  living,  my 
father  was  a  king,  and  when  he  died,  there  came  Fawgawns  and  Blue-men  on 
us,  and  banished  us  out  of  two  islands;  and  we  are  on  top  of  the  third  island 
with  them,  and  as  many  of  them  as  we  kill  are  ahve  to  fight  us  again  in  the 
morning;  and  every  day  they  kill  one  of  us,  and  we  bring  him  to  life  again 
with  the  healing  water."     They  healed  Kaytuch. 

Next  morning  he  asked  where  the  battlefield  was,  and  the  young  men  said: 
"If  you  were  a  good  champion,  you  would  have  searched  the  place,  and  you 
would  know  in  what  place  they  give  battle."  Angrily  he  strode  off  alone. 
"He  did  not  go  far  when  he  saw  the  blackness  of  the  hill  with  people  coming 
toward  him."    He  slew  all;   and  "stretched  himself  among  the  dead  to  see 

'  A  variant  of  this  tale,  substituting  something  else  for  the  part  we  are  interested  in,  occurs 
in  Maclnnes,  Folk  and  Hero  Tales,  pp.  376-83.  A  second  variant  in  Campbell's  Fians,  pp. 
225-32,  has  no  balm  and  no  battle. 


64  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

who  else  was  coming."  An  old  man  and  an  old  woman  approached,  Slaughter 
and  Hag  of  Slaughter.  They  "threw  a  dash"  on  the  dead,  who  rose  up  like 
midges.  Kaytuch  slew  the  revived,  then  the  old  couple.  Next  came  the  tall, 
toothless,  rusty  Hag  of  the  Church.  He  tried  in  several  ways  to  kill  her  and 
failed;  at  the  advice  of  a  bird,  he  jumped  on  her  shoulders  and  pulled  her  head 
off.  Then  he  had  to  slay  the  Lamb  of  Luck,  and  the  Cat  of  Hoorebrike.  But 
the  Cat  slew  Kaytuch  too. 

The  three  men  (who  were  brothers)  sought  Kaytuch,  and  revived  him  with 
the  healing  water.     He  restored  their  realm,  and  departed  to  Erin. 

Fourth  Group 

Birth  oj  Fin  MacCumhail. — [In  general  outline,  but  not  in  detail.  Fin's 
early  life  here  is  similar  to  Perceval's  life  in  the  forest;  of.  p.  4,  n.  3,  and  chap, 
i,  supra.]  ....  Fin  slew  three  giants.  Then  came  their  mother,  a  Hag  who 
had  a  "vial  of  liquid  with  which  she  could  bring  the  sons  to  life."  The  battle 
against  the  giants,  one  after  the  other,  had  been  at  night;  at  midnight  the  Hag 
arrived,  and  Fin,  though  greatly  weakened  from  loss  of  blood,  sprang  up  into 
the  air,  and  swept  the  bottle  from  her  grasp,  which,  falling  to  the  ground,  was 
emptied.  Fin  and  the  Hag  had  a  fearful  battle,  but  just  as  dayhght  was  com- 
ing, he  swept  her  head  off.  Then  he  cured  his  wounds  with  her  blood  (J. 
Curtin,  Myths,  etc.,  204-20). 

Lawn  Dyarrig  (a  variant  of  Red  Sh). — Lawn  Dyarrig  was  the  despised 
youngest  of  the  King's  three  sons.  The  King's  teeth  were  knocked  out;  and 
the  three  sons  started  oft'  to  avenge  the  insult.  Lawn  Dyarrig  being  mocked 
by  his  two  brothers. 

They  came  to  a  house,  and  a  woman  sheltered  them  over  night,  befriending 
Lawn  Dyarrig  (the  hero),  and  giving  him  a  sword  and  a  magic  horse.  The 
hero  took  his  brothers  up  behind  him,  the  steed  traveled  marvelously,  and 
when  it  stopped  in  the  Eastern  World,  they  ahghted.  The  hero,  following  the 
woman's  instructions,  cut  the  sod  from  under  the  steed's  foot,  and  the  Terrible 
Valley  was  under  them.  The  horse  was  loosed  and  sent  home;  and  the 
brothers  made  ropes  and  a  basket.  Then,  after  each  of  the  older  brothers 
had  descended  a  short  way  and  been  frightened  back,  the  hero  was  let  down 
through  the  hole. 

Lawn  Dyarrig  slew  seven  hundred  heroes  guarding  the  country.  Next 
he  came  to  a  spring,  and  lay  down  and  slept.  A  lady  learned  through  her 
maid  of  his  presence,  knew  [by  magic  or  prophecy]  that  it  was  Lawn  Dyarrig, 
ran  to  him,  kissed  him,  and  took  him  to  the  castle  of  the  Green  Knight. 

The  Knight  returned  home  and  sent  three  hundred  heroes  to  bring  the 
heart  of  the  hero  to  him.  The  hero  slew  them,  and  a  second  three  hundred. 
Next  three  hundred  savage  hirehngs  were  sent;  but  hfe  took  one  by  the  ankles 
and  slew  all  the  rest  with  him,  wearing  him  down  to  a  pair  of  shin  bones.  He 
then  went  from  his  room  to  where  the  Knight  was  at  dinner,  took  the  dinner  and 


THE   RED   KNIGHT- WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  65 

the  lady  for  himself,  and  then  took  the  lady  to  his  room  and  spent  the  night. 
Next  morning  he  and  the  Knight  fought,  and,  following  the  lady's  instructions, 
he  won  the  battle.  The  hero  and  the  lady  spent  a  second  night  "very  com- 
fortably." Next  morning  they  rose  early  and  collected  all  the  gold,  utensils, 
and  treasures.  He  found  the  three  teeth  of  his  father  in  a  pocket  of  the  Green 
Knight  and  took  them.  He  and  the  lady  carried  all  the  riches  to  where  the 
basket  was.  "If  I  send  up  this  beautiful  lady,"  thought  he,  "she  may  be 
taken  from  me  by  my  brothers;  if  I  remain  below  with  her  she  may  be  taken 
from  me  by  the  people  here." 

He  put  her  in  the  basket.  She  gave  him  a  ring  so  that  they  might  know 
each  other  if  they  met.  He  shook  the  gad  [rope],  and  she  rose  in  the  basket. 
The  brothers  ran  off  with  the  lady ;  and  on  the  way  the  oldest  found  the  head 
of  an  old  horse  with  teeth  in  it;  he  took  them  home  and  tried  to  put  them  in 
his  father's  head,  but  his  father  stopped  him. 

The  hero  went  farther  in  the  Valley,  met  and  overcame  Shortclothes, 
but  was  put  under  spells  to  go  to  the  northeast  point  of  the  world  to  bring  "  the 
heart  and  liver  of  the  serpent  which  is  seven  years  asleep  and  seven  years 
awake."'  He  accomplished  that  adventure.  Then  he  secured  a  horse  that 
brought  him  to  Erin  just  when  his  oldest  brother  was  about  to  marry  his  lady. 
Lawn  Dyarrig  dropped  his  ring  into  a  cup  of  wine,  and  the  lady  saw  it  and 
knew  him.  The  King's  teeth  were  replaced.  The  lady  gave  the  queen  a 
magic  girdle  which  forced  her  to  acknowledge  that  her  two  older  sons  were 
bastards  and  that  Lawn  Dyarrig  was  her  only  son  by  the  King.  Of  course, 
Lawn  Dyarrig  then  secured  half  the  kingdom.  And  his  two  older  brothers 
became  his  servants. 

A  reading  of  the  foregoing  summaries  shows  that  while  there  is  a 
considerable  latitude  of  presentation,  there  is  evidently  much  the 
same  story  at  the  basis  of  all  the  accounts.  The  first  group  contains 
the  Insult  (or  equivalent) ,  First  Meeting  with  Relatives  (or  Young 
Men),  the  Hag  Battle,  Second  Meeting  with  Relatives,  and  the 
Insulter's  Death.  The  second  group  contains  the  Insult,  the 
Insulter's  Death  (or  punishment),  the  Hag  (with  or  without  a 
Battle),  and  the  Meeting  with  Relatives.  The  third  group  con- 
tains the  First  Meeting  with  Relatives  (or  Three  Young  Men), 
the  Hag  Battle,  and  the  Second  Meeting  with  Relatives.  And  in 
the  fourth  group,  the  Birth  of  Fin  presents  only  the  Hag  Battle; 
while  Lawn  Dyarrig  carries  the  shell  of  the  Red  Sh  tale,  but  omits 
the  Meeting  with  Relatives  (or  Young  Men)  and  the  Battle,  sub- 
stituting other  incidents  for  them  that  are  not  variants  of  them. 

'  A  serpent  appears  in  Pd,  269,  277-78. 


66  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

Since  the  two  incidents  of  the  Insult  and  the  Insulter's  Death 
appear  in  all  five  of  our  Perceval  tales  {SP,  C  and  G,  W,  and  Pd), 
it  will  not  be  necessary  to  stop  here  to  consider  whether  they  were 
integral  parts  of  the  original  story  that  told  of  the  hero's  rescue  of 
the  Young  Men  from  the  persecution  of  the  Hag  or  not.  Red  Sh 
reproduces  pretty  nearly  what  must  have  been  the  prototype  of 
this  portion  of  the  Perceval  tale. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  an  argument  to  show  that  the 
source  of  this  part  of  SP,  C,  W,  Pd{a),  Pd(b),  and  G  was  a  story  in 
which  appeared,  besides  some  minor  ones,  five  main  incidents: 
the  Insult,  the  First  Meeting  with  Relatives,  the  Battle  against 
the  Hag's  Host,  the  Second  Meeting  with  Relatives,  and  the 
Insulter's  Death.  Material  for  the  first  and  last  incidents  is  not 
plentiful  nor  decisive  as  to  shape;  for  the  three  others  it  is  both 
abundant  and  decisive. 

An  incident  in  which  a  king  is  insulted  is  not  of  uncommon 
occurrence.  Analyzed  as  it  appears  in  the  group  of  tales  summarized 
above  and  in  still  other  tales,  it  occurs  in  at  least  three  types.  And 
a  slight  alteration  on  the  part  of  the  narrator  could  change  it  from 
one  type  to  another. 

In  the  first  type  a  magician  (perhaps  in  the  form  of  a  knight, 
perhaps  not)  comes  to  court  and  insults  the  king,  and  a  despised 
youth  becomes  the  hero  of  the  hour  by  overthrowing  him.  This 
form  of  insult  appears  in  Red  Sh  and  Ransom.  It  is  possible  that 
originally  the  magician  just  came,  and  it  was  left  for  the  inquisitive 
minds  of  later  ages  of  story-telling  to  inquire  why  he  came.  This 
type  presumes  a  countergif t  of  magic :  the  hero  is  clearly  stated  to 
possess  this  in  the  Tent  Lady's  ring  in  SP  (11.  1857-64;  1894-96), 
the  Empress'  stone  in  Pd{b),  the  stone  of  victory  in  Red  Sh 
variant  d  (p.  491),  in  the  solution  of  the  magician's  own  riddle  in 
Red  Sh  (p.  466),  and  in  the  advice  of  the  eagle  in  Red  Sh  variant  a 

(p-  485). 

In  the  second  type  a  person,  a  magician  most  likely,  appears  at 
court  and  dares  the  king  or  one  of  his  courtiers  to  attempt  some 
feat  which,  of  course,  can  be  achieved  only  by  the  hero,  who  is 
then  acknowledged  best  of  knights  (or  men).  Again  the  hero 
probably  possesses  a  countergif t  of  magic.     Sir  Gawain  and  the 


THE   RED   KNIGHT- WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  67 

Green  Knight  represents  this  type.  It  appears,  too,  in  Champion  of 
the  Red  Belt.  A  magician  bespells  the  Champion's  brother,  and 
the  spell  can  be  removed  only  by  the  healing  water,  which,  in  turn, 
can  be  procured  only  by  the  hero.  It  appears,  probably,  too,  in 
the  incident  in  Pd{b) :  the  Black  Man,  bearing  a  goblet,  enters  the 
court  of  the  Empress  and  requests  her  to  hand  the  goblet  only  to 
him  who  is  willing  to  fight  the  bearer.  Since  Pd  is  in  many  places 
rather  a  bundle  of  notes  than  an  elaborated  tale,  it  is  not  leaving 
certainties  far  behind  to  surmise  that  in  the  original  state  the  Black 
Man  bore  a  goblet  from  which  only  the  destined  hero  could  drink, 
say,  without  spilling  the  contents  or  without  passing  under  a  spell. ^ 
Tyolet  and  the  Beautiful  Unknown  tales  lean  toward  this  type, 
though  they  substitute  a  lady's  plea  for  aid  in  the  place  of  the 
"insult."  The  death  of  the  magician  was  not  necessary,  but  it 
might  occur. 

In  the  third  type  a  knight  considers  as  his  own  certain  lands 
now  ruled  by  the  king,  and  defies  the  king  to  test  his  claim  by 
combat.  This  type,  in  a  simple  form,  is  found  in  the  Wedding 
of  Sir  Gawain  and  the  Awntyrs  of  Arthur  at  the  Tarn  Waddling 
(sts.  33  fif.). 

SP  and  Pd{a)  (or  their  sources)  combined  the  second  type  with 
the  first  to  form  the  incident  in  their  accounts  of  the  Red  Knight: 
C  (W  following)  adapted  its  incident  to  fit  the  third  type,  but 
retained  remnants  of  the  second.  The  incident  used  by  all  the 
four  versions  doubtless  belonged,  in  its  earlier  form,  to  the  first 
type,  or  to  the  first  and  second  combined;  and  the  result  in  C  is 
due  to  the  impulse  to  refine.  When  Crestien,  or  his  source,  pruned 
away  from  the  Perceval  plot  the  magicaP  elements  (here  as  else- 
where), the  insulting  portion  of  the  Red  Knight's  activities  was 
left  motiveless.  Motivation  and  refinement  were  both  secured 
by  the  substitution  of  the  land  claimant  of  the  third  type  for  the 

■  Cf.  confirmatory  similarities  in  the  tests  in  Fool  (the  Gruagach's  cup),  Le  manteau  mal 
tailU,  Gawain  and  the  Green  Knight,  etc.  In  C  and  W  it  is  the  spilling  of  wine  on  the  Queen 
that  is  especially  distressing. 

'  Magic  disappeared  everywhere  except  in  the  Grail  adventures.  So  completely  has 
magic  disappeared  from  the  Perceval  parts  that  it  seems  to  me  that  there  must  have  been 
conscious  excision.  In  the  Gawain  plot  (or  subplot)  of  the  later  portion  of  the  poem  magic  is 
still  to  be  found.     Cf.  comment,  p.  127,  infra. 


68  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

repugnant  insulter  of  the  first ;  and  then  any  remnants  of  roughness 
were  to  be  explained,  as  Wolfram's  Red  Knight  does  explain  them, 
as  "accidents."  After  planning  for  these  changes  and  for  an  indi- 
rect narrative  of  the  Knight's  visit  to  court,  Crestien  (or  his  source) 
had  still  to  provide  an  adequate  explanation  of  Perceval's  willing- 
ness to  fight  the  Red  Knight ;  so  Perceval  was  made  to  see  him  before 
reaching  court,  and  since  he  was  one  of  the  few  knights  Perceval 
had  ever  seen  and  was  presumably  the  most  beautifully  dressed 
(and  cf.  here  the  comments  and  notes  on  p.  45,  supra),  the  hero 
desired  to  possess  his  accouterments  and  was  shortly  afterward 
spurred  on  to  a  willingness  to  do  battle  for  them.  Possibly  in  the 
source  a  desire  for  the  red  armor  was  expressed;  such  almost 
happens  in  Red  Sh. 

The  Relatives  were  met  twice^  in  the  early  form  of  the  story,  but, 
for  the  sake  of  economy,  both  meetings  may  be  commented  on  at 
the  same  time.  The  first  meeting,  or  visit,  occurred  before  the 
battle  against  the  Hag's  host,  and  the  second  after  the  Hag  had 
been  slain.  Both  appear  in  the  fuller  versions  of  the  incident,  such 
as  Red  Sh  and  G.  In  SP  only  one  visit  appears,  but  the  account 
shows  a  confusion  of  the  two  visits  of  the  completer  versions: 
Perceval  met  his  kinsmen  after  he  had  slain  the  Witch,  but  he  went 
from  them  to  fight  a  battle  the  account  of  which  manifests  contami- 
nation from  that  of  the  battle  against  the  hosts  of  the  Hag.  The 
visit  in  C,  W,  Pd{a)  is  the  second  only. 

The  Relatives  appear  in  several  variant  forms.  Sometimes  it 
is  only  an  Uncle  whom  the  hero  assists  against  his  foes,  as  in  Manus; 
sometimes  only  Three  Young  Men  who  are  not  related  to  him,  as 
in  Pd{h) ;  frequently  it  is  Three  Young  Men  who  are  kin  to  him, 
as  in  Red  Sh,  though  in  Red  Sh  the  hero's  foster  father  also  is 
mentioned;  in  Conall  the  Uncle  appears,  but  the  hero's  father  and 
two  brothers  are  substituted  for  the  Three  Young  Men.  The 
form  of  the  story  that  entered  into  the  making  of  the  Perceval  tale 
pretty  certainly  had  both  the  Uncle  and  the  Three  Young  Men 
(the  Uncle's  sons).     For  the  presence  of  the  Uncle  we  have  the 

'  There  may,  indeed,  have  been  three  meetings,  the  third  being  after  the  Insulter's  death; 
such  a  third  meeting  occurs,  e.g.,  in  Ransom. 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  69 

testimony  of  SP,^  Conall,  Faolan,  Manus,  Red  Sk  variant  d,  and 
the  mention  of  the  foster  father  in  Red  Sk;  and  in  Pd{a)  Perceval's 
Uncle  appears.^  The  Relative  visited  by  the  hero  in  C,  W,  and  G 
is  said  to  be  the  Uncle  of  the  heroine:  in  reality  he  is  the  same 
character — it  is  only  the  kinship  that  has  been  shifted;  if  this  is 
not  sufficiently  proved  by  SP,  Pd{a),  and  especially  G,  still  other 
evidence  is  offered  by  W,  as  will  be  seen  when  presently  we  take 
up  the  woman  in  the  case. 

The  Three  Young  Men  are  a  fairly  stable  factor,  appearing  in  a 
large  proportion  of  versions.  (As  a  general  thing,  when  an  account 
has  changed  or  omitted  them,  it  has  given  the  hero  three  antago- 
nists— giants  or  monsters — -as  a  sort  of  substitute.)  Not  to  multiply 
examples,  the  Young  Men  appear  clearest  perhaps  in  Red  Sk. 
Pd{h)  has  the  Three,  too.  Most  noticeable  among  the  departures 
from  the  number  three  are  the  statements  that  there  were  four  in 
G  and  Faolan,  for  which  variation  I  have  no  explanation  to  offer; 
and  that  there  were  nine  in  SP  and  Kil  Arthur,  though  the  latter 
goes  on  to  add  eight  more  to  the  nine,  always,  however,  keeping 
the  seventeen  separated  into  the  two  groups  of  nine  and  eight.  But 
even  SP  offers  a  strong  piece  of  evidence  that  the  number  was  three : 
one  of  the  points  in  the  story  is  that  when  the  hero  offers  to  fight 
the  battle  for  his  Relatives,  he  must,  because  of  a  spell  or  for  some 
such  reason,  fight  unassisted;  the  spell  is  mentioned  in  Red  Sk,  and 
is  implied  in  Pd{b),  G,  Mananaun,  etc.;  now,  in  SP,  when  Perceval 
is  leaving  his  Uncle's  home,  tkree  of  his  nine  cousins  beg  permission 
to  accompany  him,  and  start  along,  but  very  shortly  they  are  sent 
back  without  any  apparent  reason  whatever,  and  the  battle  that 
Perceval  was  going  to,  as  will  appear  in  chapter  IV,  was  in  part  the 
battle  against  the  Hag's  host;  the  account  of  the  spell  on  the  Three 
Young  Men  has  fallen  out  of  SP,  but  its  effect  remains. 

The  Three  Young  Men  do  not  appear  in  C.  Gornemans  is  not 
said  to  have  any  sons  at  all,  though  his  two  pages  are  mentioned. 

'  The  fact  that  SP  makes  the  hero's  mother  sister  to  Arthur  rose  through  the  influence  of 
this  story  in  some  way,  I  think.     Cf.  similarities  in  Manus,  Conall,  etc. 

'  In  Williams'  Y  Seinl  Greal  (passim,  esp.  pp.  276,  716)  Perceval  has  an  Uncle  who  is 
master  of  the  black  art  and  who  is  probably  his  enemy  (cf.  Faolati);  he  is  called  King  of  the 
Dead  Castle;  cf.  Rhys,  Arth.  Leg.,  118,  273  5.  The  Huth  Merlin  makes  this(?)  character  its 
Garlan,  or  Gallan,  and  in  Malory  he  is  Garlon  in  the  Balyn  story. 


70  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

In  Pd{a)  his  equivalent  has  two  sons — an  unusual  disregard  of  the 
Welshman's  conventional  love  of  the  number  three.  W,  however, 
dwells  on  the  fact  that  the  Uncle  (Gurnemanz)  has  had  three  sons, 
though  none  were  living  at  the  time  of  Parzival's  visit;  and  one 
of  these  sons  at  least  had  lost  his  life,  shortly  before  the  visit  of  the 
hero,  in  the  long  contest  that  the  hero  was  to  bring  to  an  end  (the 
element  of  the  revivifying  Magic  Balm  had  dropped  out  of  W  or 
its  source).  The  shifting  of  the  kinship,  making  Gornemans  uncle 
of  the  heroine  instead  of  uncle  of  the  hero,  that  appears  in  C  and  W, 
is,  I  think,  a  paradoxical  reflex  of  the  influence  of  an  early  form  of 
the  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  story :  in  the  early  form  the  hero  left 
his  Relatives  and  went  to  fight  their  battle ;  after  the  disappearance 
from  C  (or  its  source)  of  the  Young  Men  and  their  battle  (for  the 
battle  was  essentially  theirs,  not  the  Uncle's),  the  next  battle 
Perceval  fought  was  in  behalf  of  the  heroine ;  the  kinship  then  was 
shifted,  and  the  hero  went  to  fight  the  battle  of  the  Uncle's  niece 
instead  of  the  Uncle's  sons.^  The  shift  was  the  more  easily  made, 
furthermore,  because  of  the  part  played  by  women  in  this  story. 

Among  the  Relatives  and  assistants  two  Women  appear;  i.e., 
some  versions,  as  Pd{h)  and  Hookedy-Crookedy,  have  two  Women; 
some,  as  Red  Sh  and  Kil  Arthur,  have  only  one.  The  first  of  the 
two  is  the  Sister  of  the  Young  Men,  and  she  appears  in  most  versions. 
As  Sister  of  the  Young  Men,  she  is,  of  course,  in  many  cases  foster 
sister  to  the  hero.  In  the  conclusion  of  the  story  she  usually 
becomes  the  hero's  wife;  such  is  the  case,  e.g.,  in  Red  Sh,  Lawn 
Dyarrig,  Hookedy-Crookedy,  Dough,  and  Kil  Arthur.  She  is  offered 
to  the  hero  in  marriage  by  the  Three  Young  Men  in  Pd{h),  but  is 
refused.  W  descends  from  a  similar  source;  the  Uncle,  Gurne- 
manz (the  Three  Young  Men,  his  sons,  are  dead),  offers  his  daughter 
Liaze  in  marriage  to  Parzival,  but  she  is  refused.  Wolfram,  then, 
did  not  invent  Liaze;  she  was  an  integral  part  of  his  source.  The 
Second  Lady  had  supernatural  knowledge  and  magical  possessions. 

'  In  C,  W,  and  Pd{a)  the  function  of  teacher  is  attributed  to  the  Uncle.  How  to  account 
for  this  addition  I  do  not  see.  In  Pd  the  real  teachers  are  the  Nine-  Sorceresses  of  Gloucester 
(has  the  nine  here  any  connection  with  the  nine  of  the  nine  cousins  in  SP?),  and  previous 
students  have  intimated  that  this  incident  in  Pd  may  be  due  to  the  influence  of  the  Cuchulain 
tale;  the  influence  of  the  Cuchulain  tale  pretty  certainly  appears  in  one  of  the  Witch-Uncle 
stories  summarized  above;   cf.  the  age  and  fury  of  Fialan  in  Fear  Dubh,  pp.  58-50. 


THE   RED   KNIGHT- WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  7 1 

She  appears  in  Lawn  Dyarrig,  Hookedy-Crookedy,  and  Dough,  and 
best  in  Pd{b),  where  she  is  called  "Empress  of  Cristinobyl."  She 
meets  the  hero  before  he  goes  to  battle,  recognizes  him,  knows  all 
about  his  business,  and  gives  him  a  magical  gift  without  which  he 
could  not  succeed  in  his  adventures.  Some  versions  seem  to  com- 
bine the  two  Women  in  one,  in  which  case  the  Sister  of  the  Young 
Men  appears  before  the  hero  twice.  In  Red  Sh  the  hero  meets 
(only  once)  a  beautiful  woman  soon  after  he  enters  the  island;  he 
takes  her  to  the  ship,  and  his  treacherous  companions  makeoflf 
with  her;  she  gives  him  no  gifts,  but  she  is  the  sister  of  the  Young 
Men,  whom  the  hero  meets  shortly  afterward;  in  variants  of  Red 
Sh  the  magical  gifts  appear.  A  similar  first  meeting  occurs  in 
Ransom,  when  the  hero  meets  the  lady  with  the  dog;  the  magic 
seems  here  to  reside  in  the  dog.  But  Lawn  Dyarrig  is  patently  a 
variant  of  Red  Sh;  and  in  it  the  hero  meets  first  a  Lady  who  gives 
him  magical  gifts,  and  meets  later  the  Sister  (daughter  of  the  pre- 
ceding), a  different  person.  I  think  Pd{b)  is  the  only  version  in 
which  the  hero  is  said  to  marry  the  Second  Lady,  though  in  Conall 
his  wife  is  perhaps  her  equivalent.  When  the  hero  first  meets  the 
woman  in  Red  Sh  (she  is  there  the  Sister  of  the  Young  Men  and 
consequently  foster  sister  to  the  hero),  she  is  holding  in  her  lap  the 
head  of  a  dead  warrior.^  An  incident  of  this  sort  in  the  early  form 
of  the  story  is  the  source  from  which  came  the  giermaine  cosine 
of  C,  Sigune^  of  W,  and  the  foster  sister  of  Pd{a).  Perceval  met 
the  giermaine  cosine  immediately  after  he  left  the  Grail  castle  and 
while  he  was  still  in  supernatural  territory  (no  one  lived  anywhere 
near),  found  her  embracing  the  corpse  of  a  knight,  was  recognized, 
almost  or  quite  supernaturally,  by  her  (cf.  the  recognition  in,  say, 
Faolan),  and  received  from  her  information  and  prophecy  concern- 
ing his  affairs  (cf.  the  information  and  prophecy  of  the  Empress 
in  Pd  and  the  woman  in  Lawn  Dyarrig  and  Faolan) .     In  W  Sigune 

'  In  Mananaun  the  heroine  watches  over  the  dead  body  of  the  hero  until  she  secures  the 
healing  water  to  revive  him;  in  Conall  the  hero  lies  down  to  sleep  with  his  head  in  the  heroine's 
lap  and  cannot  be  roused  till  the  time  of  his  "hero's  sleep"  is  past;  in  SP  the  hero  Ues  down  to 
take  a  nap  with  his  head  in  the  lap  of  the  Tent  Lady,  but  her  husband  arrives  before  he  falls 
asleep  {vide  chap.  v).     Something  of  this  nature  appears  to  have  been  a  part  of  the  story. 

'  Golther  {op.  cit.,  204-5)  considered  SP's  Tent  Lady  of  the  second  meeting  a  combination 
of  Sigune  and  Jeschute. 


72  SIR   PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

appeared  to  Parzival  twice,  first  after  his  \dsit  to  the  Tent  and  before 
he  reached  court,  and  secondly  after  the  visit  at  the  Grail  castle; 
the  first  visit  is  probably  not  a  mere  intercalation  of  Wolfram's, 
but  is  an  inheritance/ 

Before  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story  entered  into  the  mak- 
ing of  the  Perceval  tale,  the  hero's  marriage  with  the  heroine 
(Lufamour-Blancheflur-Condwiramur)  had  been  established.  He 
could  not  be  granted  two  marriages;  and  so  in  C,  W,  and  G  the 
difiiculty  was  solved  by  making  the  heroine  the  niece  of  the  Uncle — 
she  took  over  so  much  of  the  function  of  the  Sister  of  the  Young 
Men ;  and  I  think  it  highly  probable  that  both  W  and  G  drew  from 
C  the  idea  of  making  the  heroine  the  niece  of  Gornemans. 

The  Witch  incident — with  its  battle  against  hosts,  the  excessively 
ugly  appearance  of  the  Hag,  and  its  revivifying  balm — appears  as  a 
pretty  consistent  factor,  and  retains  its  form  rather  more  commonly 
than  the  incident  of  the  Relatives;  but  even  it  occurs  in  variant 
shapes.  The  usual  shape  includes  the  battle  against  hosts  (and  the 
death  of  the  Hag's  son),  the  hero's  sleep  upon  the  battlefield,  the 
midnight  appearance  of  the  Hag  with  her  balm,  and  her  death.  The 
best  versions  of  the  incident  in  this  type  are  in  Red  Sh,  G,  and  Ran- 
som. In  general  if  the  Hag  had  a  son  (or  sons),  he  was  probably 
thought  of  as  a  magician  or  a  giant,  as  in  Birth  of  Fin.^  A  variant 
of  the  incident  was  produced  by  the  substitution  of  monsters  for 
the  Hag  and  her  progeny.  The  incident  in  this  type  occurs  in  Red 
Sh  variants  and  Big  Men;  sometimes  there  was  just  a  single  monster, 
as  in  Fionn  and  Bran.  Pd{h),  with  its  "Addanc,"  belongs  to  this 
type.  The  evolution  of  variants  is,  I  think,  easily  to  be  accounted 
for:  if,  e.g.,  the  number  of  sons  of  the  Hag  or  the  number  of  battles 
was  changed  to  three,  the  alteration  sprang  from  the  tale-teller's 
feeling  for  symmetry — he  sought  to  balance  this  portion  of  the 
incident  against  the  threefoldness  of  the  Three  Young  Men.  In 
Hookedy  there  is  the  threefold  battle  without  the  Hag  or  her  sons; 

'  The  significance  of  the  meeting  and  also  the  apparent  absence  of  both  Women  from  this 
section  of  SP  will  be  conmiented  on  in  the  Conclusion.  Sigune's  mother  was  made  sister  of 
Herzeloyde  to  account  for  the  kinship  that  had  been  set  up  long  before. 

'  G,  which  has  neither  the  Insult  nor  the  son  of  the  Hag,  makes  the  Hag  herself  subject 
to  a  vague  "King  of  the  Waste  City";  in  Pd{b),  where  several  items  appear  inverted,  the  father 
of  the  Three  Young  Men  is  the  "King  of  Tortures." 


THE   RED   KNIGHT- WITCH-UNCLE    STORY  73 

the  enemy  to  be  overthrown  is  an  Insulter  of  the  Land-Claimant 
type,  leading  three  armies,  one  after  the  other.  Usually  the  Magic 
Balm  appears  only  as  a  possession  of  the  Hag;  in  several  versions 
it  is  duplicated,  is  a  possession  of  the  Hag  and  of  the  Three  Young 
Men  too,  as  in  Conall  (244),  Mananaun,  etc.;  in  Pd{b)  it  appears 
only  in  the  keeping  of  the  Three  Young  Men.  In  the  more  nearly 
complete  form  of  the  incident  the  Hag's  son  is  not  the  Insulter. 
In  SP  the  two  persons  have  been  combined;  in  C,  W,  Pd{a),  and  G, 
indications  are  too  slight  to  enable  us  to  decide.  The  whole  of  the 
Witch  incident  is  wanting  in  C,  W,  and  Pd{a) ;  SP  has  a  very  ema- 
ciated form  of  it,  touching  the  fuller  versions  at  six  points:  (i)  a 
Witch  (2)  has  a  son,  (3)  is  able  to  revive  the  dead,  (4)  is  enemy  to 
the  hero's  friends  (Relatives),  (5)  and  is  slain,  (6)  with  her  own 
son's  spear;  the  battle  against  the  Hag's  host  seems  to  have  dropped 
out,  yet  it  has  not  dropped  so  far  but  that  we  shall  find  some  of  it 
later.'  One  other  point:  though  the  Hag's  host  (with  its  battle), 
her  midnight  advent,  and  her  supernatural  powers  have  all  dis- 
appeared from  C,  her  distressingly  ugly  personal  appearance  has 
remained  as  a  heritage  to  the  Grail  Messenger  (C,  5981  ff.)  and  to 
her  counterparts  in  W  and  Pd.  Wauchier,  also,  has  a  hideous  hag 
(25380-410). 

Death  to  the  Insulter  is  the  punishment  for  the  Insult  meted 
out  in  most  of  the  tales,  but  not  in  all;  in  Conall  he  is  merely  "con- 
verted"— overthrown  and  added  to  the  hero's  retinue  as  a  traveling 
companion.  After  telling  of  his  death,  most  of  the  tales  are  silent 
as  to  the  disposition  made  of  his  body;  it  is  simply  left  lying  where 
it  has  fallen;  such  is  the  case  in  Red  Sh,  Pd{a),  W,  C,  etc.  But  in 
G,  which  was  intended  to  provide  an  end  for  the  unfinished  C,  the 
Red  Knight's  corpse  was  placed  in  an  ivory  coffer  (we  are  not  told 
by  whom),  drawn  on  a  barge  by  a  swan  back  to  the  Knight's  castle, 
and  preserved  there  ten  years  by  the  Knight's  four  sons.  Only  the 
best  of  knights  (the  slayer)  could  open  the  casket,  and  the  sons 
knew  not  its  contents.  Perceval,  entertained  at  the  castle,  was 
bidden  try  to  open  the  casket,  and  he  succeeded;  when  the  corpse 
was  seen,  the  sons  felt  they  must  avenge  the  Knight's  death;  and 
an  encounter  by  night  and  by  day  ensued  {Library,  81  ff.).  In 
SP  and,  apparently,  in  C's  source  the  Knight's  body  was  thrown 


74  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

on  a  fire  and  burned.  In  SP,  moreover,  the  hero  burns  in  the  same 
fire  the  body  of  the  Witch.  The  latter  point  Nutt  thinks  must  have 
been  in  the  sources;  after  quoting  two  verses  from  G  (see  p.  50, 
supra),  he  adds  a  footnote:  "I  cannot  but  think  that  these  words 
have  connection  with  the  incident  in  the  Enghsh  Sir  Perceval  of 
the  hero's  throwing  into  the  flames  and  thus  destroying  his  Witch 
enemy."  So  far  I  have  discovered  nothing  in  the  sources  to  war- 
rant the  connection  of  a  burning  of  the  body  by  the  hero  with  the 
Witch  incident;  and  so  I  am  incKned  to  think  the  burning  was 
borrowed  from  the  Knight's  fate.  As  to  the  source  of  5P's  point 
of  the  burning  of  the  Knight's  body,  I  have  little  to  suggest.  Pos- 
sibly it  arose,  after  the  Perceval  tale  was  put  together,  to  account 
for  the  Witch's  failure  to  use  her  Balm  upon  the  body,  beside  whose 
ashes  she  had  stood  (see  summary  of  SP).  Perhaps  there  is  some 
connection  between  it  and  such  an  incident  as  the  burning  of  the 
giant's  head  in  Kil  Arthur,  which  looks  Kke  a  garbled  transforma- 
tion scene;  there  is  no  transformation  in  SP;  there  are  two  of 
them  in  Faolan,  but  no  burning.^  After  the  Insulter  has  been  slain, 
we  are  told  in  several  tales  that  he  is  related  to  the  hero's  friends 
or  to  the  hero  himself;  thus  in  Red  Sh  and  Ransom  he  is  foster 
brother  or  only  brother  to  the  father  of  the  Three  Young  Men; 
uncle  (or  "foster  uncle"),  then,  to  the  hero  (cf.  the  bespelled  Uncle 
m.  Faolan).     Some  such  version  as  a  source  accounts  for  Wolfram's 

'  In  this  footnote  I  venture  to  summarize  part  of  a  tale  which  has  few  if  any  connections 
with  the  tales  I  have  summarized  above,  but  which  has  a  burning  incident  just  here: 

The  Bare-stripping  Hangman. — [There  are  many  incidents,  among  them  several  using  a 
magic  balm;  at  the  end  this — ]  Alastir,  the  hero,  had  now  finished  all  he  had  to  do.  He  there- 
fore returned  the  way  he  came,  taking  with  him  the  King's  three  daughters  he  had  rescued. 
They  reached  the  castle  of  the  Great  Giant  of  Ben  Breck,  and  found  the  Giant  stretched  dead 
on  the  floor.     Alastir  seized  the  Giant's  Great  Sword,  smote  off  his  head  and  his  feet  as  far  as 

the  knees,  tied  them  up,  and  took  them  with  him The  King  looked  from  his  window, 

and  saw  Alastir  coming  with  the  three  women,  and  the  Giant's  head  and  feet  over  his 

shoulder The  King  inquired  what  he  was  going  to  do  with  the  head  and  feet.  Alastir 

replied:  "Before  I  eat  food  or  take  a  drink,  thou  shalt  see  that."  He  gathered  fuel,  made  a 
large,  hot  fire,  and  threw  the  head  and  feet  into  the  midst  of  the  flame.  As  soon  as  the  hair 
of  the  head  was  singed  and  the  skin  of  the  feet  burnt,  the  very  handsomest  young  man  they 
ever  beheld  sprang  out  of  the  fire.     The  King  cried:   "Oh,  the  son  of  my  father  and  mother 

who  was  stolen  in  his  childhood!"  and  he  embraced  him And  all  went  into  the  castle. 

[The  giant  had  stolen  the  King's  three  daughters.  There  is  no  explanation  of  the  young  man's 
enchantment,  or  of  why  he  had  stolen  his  nieces.  But,  perhaps,  the  explanation  is  not  diflScult 
to  suggest.]  (MacDougall,  "Folk  and  Hero  Tales  of  Argyllshire,"  Waifs  and  Strays  of  Celtic 
Tradition,  Wl,  76-112,  esp.  iio-ii.) 


THE   RED   KNIGHT- WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  75 

exaltation  of  Ither,  the  Red  Knight.  Ither  is  nephew  of  Uther 
Pendragon,  best  of  knights,  and  near  kinsman  to  Parzival.  With 
the  friendship  between  Ither  and  Gahmuret,  pointed  out  in  chap- 
ter, I,  cf,  the  friendship  between  the  Insulter  and  the  hero  in 
Conall;  that  between  Etlym,  a  very  red  knight,  and  Peredur  in 
Pd{h) ;  and  cf .  the  study  of  Gahmuret  in  chapter  IV. 

A  brief  recapitulation  will  throw  some  light  on  source  and 
chronology. 

C,  not  possessing  them,  cannot  have  been  the  source  of  the  Three 
Young  Men,  the  Witch,  the  Enmity  between  the  Young  Men  and 
the  Witch,  nor  the  Magic  Balm.  Yet  these  are  widely  and  closely 
associated  with  the  Insulting  (or  Red)  Knight  and  the  Uncle. 

W  possesses  more  items,  but  not  enough  to  have  served  as  a 
source  for  the  later(  ?)  versions. 

G,  next  in  age,  cannot  have  been  the  source,  since  it  wants(  ?) 
the  Witch's  son  and  omits  the  incident  of  the  Insult.  Moreover, 
Gerbert  did  not  invent  either  {a)  the  Magic  Balm,  for  that  appears 
in  Fierahras^  {ca.  a.d.  1170);  or  (b)  extremely  ugly  carlins;  cf., 
for  one,  the  Loathly  Damsel  of  C,  5981  £f.  He  was  left  then  only 
the  combination  of  the  two  and  the  enmity  between  the  Witch  and 
Perceval's  friend.  G  is  now  found  in  only  two  MSS,  and  appears 
never  to  have  been  very  widely  known.  That  G  should  have  been 
the  starting-place  for  the  widely  current  Carlin  and  her  balm,  and 
that  SP's  source  drew  upon  G  for  the  two  matters  and  dislocated 
the  C  tale,  in  order  to  insert  them,  is  not  believable;  and  even  if 
G  could  thus  account  for  SP,  still  Red  Sh,  Pd{b),  Conall,  and  the 
other  versions  would  be  left  unaccounted  for. 

Neither  Pd  nor  SP,  because  of  their  date  of  composition  and 
because  of  their  paucity  of  material,  can  have  been  the  source. 

There  never  was,  I  believe,  any  single  MS  source,  yet  common 
source  there  was;  for  the  interpretation  of  "common  source"  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  Conclusion,  infra. 

The  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  "story"  pretty  certainly  had  a 
separate  existence.     The  evidence  of  the  tales  summarized  shows 

'  Cf.  my  note  6n  the  Balm  in  Mod.  Lang.  Notes,  April,  1910. 


76  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

that  the  incidents  of  this  story  were  not  attributed  only  to  Perceval, 
that  they  were  not  associated  with  a  hero  of  any  one  particular 
name,  and  that  the  story  freely  occurred  without  having  prefixed 
to  it  those  incidents  that  precede  it  in  the  Perceval  tale.  Some  of 
the  tales  lead  us  to  believe  that  the  four  incidents  in  the  story, 
with  a  fifth,  the  hero's  marriage,  added,  constituted  much  the  larger 
part  of  the  action,  or  plot;  i.e.,  that  with  slight  changes  the  story 
could,  and  did,  stand  by  itself  as  an  entity,  as  a  "tale,"  examples 
being  Red  Sh,  Ransom,  etc. 

And  the  story  was  taken  up  bodily  and  incorporated,  with  such 
filing  and  dovetailing  as  was  necessary,  into  a  frame-tale,  the  result 
being  the  Perceval  tale.  The  dovetailing  and  the  soldering  at  the 
joints  are  still  discernible.  In  a  general  way,  the  frame-tale  was 
this :  a  lad  reared  in  a  forest  by  his  widowed  mother  heard  of  knightly 
life,  went  to  court,  and  was  given  the  adventure  of  rescuing  a  lady, 
whereby  he  won  for  himself  a  wife,  a  kingdom,  and  much  fame. 
The  incorporated  tale  or  story  ran  thus :  a  youth  despised  at  court 
went  with  others  to  avenge  an  insult  to  the  king,  was  the  only  one 
to  succeed,  and  restored  the  king's  loss,  having  meantime  passed 
through  adventures  by  which  he  won  a  beautiful  wife,  fame,  and 
honor  at  court.  The  frame-tale  is  represented  approximately  by 
Fool  and  Card;  the  incorporated  story,  though  perhaps  over- 
elaborately,  by  Red  Sh.  The  modern  folk-tales  show  how  easy 
and  common  such  an  evolution  was.  Ample  warrant  for  believing 
in  such  a  process  of  incorporation  lies  in  Pd;  for  Pd{h)  is  just  the 
story  (in  a  variant  form  and  slightly  amplified)  inserted  bodily 
and  without  attempt  at  dovetailing  into  Pd{a),  the  frame-tale. 
Indeed,  Pd  is  most  remarkable.  It  is  a  repeater.  In  the  first 
place,  Pd{a),  like  SP,  C,  and  W,  is  the  result  of  the  incorporation 
of  the  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  story  into  a  frame-tale ;  and  in  the 
second  place,  Pd{a),  acting  as  a  frame-tale,  has  reincorporated  into 
itself  the  same  story,  Pd{b),  in  a  variant  form.  SP  affords  us  a 
glimpse  of  the  solder,  indicating  what  incident  of  the  enveloping 
tale  perished  from  C,  W,  and  Pd{a)  after  its  service  as  a  nexus  for 
the  incorporated  story.  The  messenger  who,  in  SP,  finds  Perceval 
at  his  Uncle's  hall,  does  not  appear  in  C  (where  logical  connection 
between  events  has  been  rejected) ;  and  he  is  not  more  indispensable 


THE   RED   KNIGHT-WITCH-UNCLE   STORY  77 

in  SP  than  in  C.  But  the  romance  norm  was  for  a  messenger  to 
come  before  the  king  to  request  aid;^  the  king  then  assigned  the 
adventure  to  one  of  his  knights.  The  frame-tale  was  doubtless 
of  this  type,  and  it  was  the  appearance  of  this  messenger  before 
the  king  that  gave  way  to  the  appearance  of  the  knight  who 
insulted  Arthur.  Again,  at  the  end  of  the  incorporated  story  the 
solder  shows;  in  SP  the  hero  instead  of  giving  aid  to  his  Cousins, 
who  do  not  need  it,  goes  to  the  aid  of  the  Besieged  Lady;  his  send- 
ing the  Three  Young  Men  back  home  is  another  piece;  in  C  still 
another  bit  of  solder  appears  in  the  transference  of  the  Uncle's 
kinship  from  the  hero  to  the  heroine;  in  W  we  have  the  appear- 
ance of  Liaze  and  the  death  of  one  of  her  three  brothers  (the  Three 
Young  Men)  in  defending  the  Besieged  Lady. 

The  discussion  of  the  Battle  against  the  Hag's  host  is  continued 
in  the  next  chapter.  And  in  the  Conclusion  we  shall  see  what  are 
the  results  if  we  deduct  the  incorporated  portions  from  the  Perceval 
tale  and  compare  the  remainder  (the  frame-tale)  with  tales  of  other 
heroes. 

'  The  reader  will  easily  recall  examples:  the  Beautiful-Unknown  group;  Malory's  "Gar- 
eth";  the  Loathly  Damsel  in  C,  Cundrie  in  JT;  Manessier,  45183  £F.;  Potvin,  I,  185,  etc.  Cf., 
further,  A.  C.  L.  Brown,  "The  Knight  of  the  Lion,"  Pub.  Mod.  Lang.  Assn.,  XX,  p.  677,  n.  i. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  BESIEGED  LADY 

("the  saeacen  influence") 

Fourteenth  Incident:  The  Messenger  at  Court 

I.  SP,  1057-1124. 
II.  Pd,  256. 

III.  C,  3885-4087,   5376-5539;    W,  IV,   803-31,  1147-1287;    V,   1503— 
VI,  38. 

Fifteenth  Incident:  The  First  Battle 

A.  The  Arrival  at  the  Castle 

I.  SP,  1125-44. 

II.  C,  2891-2926;  W,  IV,  1-106;  Pd,  256. 

B.  The  Fighting 

I.  SP,  1145-1212. 

II.  Pd,  258-59. 

III.  C,  3330-3529;  W,  IV,  500-602. 

Sixteenth  Incident:  The  Hero  Enters  the  Besieged  Castle 

I.  SP,  1213-1340. 
II.  C,  2927-3329;  W,  IV,  107-499;  Pd,  256-58. 

Seventeenth  Incident:  The  Second  Battle 

I.  SP,  1341-80. 
II.  Pd,  259. 
III.  C,  3530-3768;  W,  IV,  603-880. 

[Eighteenth  Incident:  Perceval  and  Gawain  Encounter 

I.  SP,  1381-1524. 

IL  Pr,Xm,  i52S-XIV,432- 
C,  Pd,  wanting.] 

[Nineteenth  Incident:  King  Arthur  Entertained  in  the  Lady's  Castle 

I.  SP,  1525-1608. 

C,  W,  Pd,  wanting.] 

Twentieth  Incident:  The  Third  Battle 

L  SP,  1609-1728. 

II.  Pd,  259-60. 

III.  C,  3769-3923;  W,  IV,  903-1092. 

78 


THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  BESIEGED  LADY  79 

[Twenty-first  Incident:  The  Hero  Marries  the  Rescued  L.\dy 

I.  SP,  1729-72;  W,  IV,  610-719;  X\T,  374  fif.;  G,  182  f.,  189  ff.,  210. 
C,  Pd,  wanting.] 

Twenty-second  Incident:  The  Hero  Leaves  the  Lady 

L  SP,  1773-1816. 
II.  C,  4088-4162;  W,  IV,  1 288-1338. 
III.  Pd,  261. 

The  Saracen  Ineluence 

SP,  973-1816;    W,  I,  452 — II,  79;    Conall,  286-94;   Saudan  Og,  58-92; 
Pd{b),  274,  278-81. 

This  chapter  is  devoted  to  the  event  of  the  rehef  of  a  maiden 
from  the  too-pressing  suit  of  an  unwelcome  warrior.  The  hero 
frees  her,  and,  according  to  two  of  the  versions  that  contain  the 
account,  marries  her;  in  the  two  other  versions  he  either  never 
marries  or  marries  someone  else. 

The  account  of  SP  includes,  nominally,  nine  incidents,  but 
discussion  of  three  of  them  will  be  postponed  to  the  next  chapter. 
C  will  be  summarized  and  compared  with  SP,  as  usual.  W  and 
Pd  do  not  manifest  such  variations  from  the  account  of  C  as  to 
make  it  necessary  to  summarize  them. 

Even  those  scholars  who  think  that  SP  is  dependent  mainly  or 
largely  on  C,  see  that  from  this  point  forward  the  two  accounts 
diverge  more  and  more.  The  first  thing  this  chapter  presents  is  a 
statement  of  their  similarities  and  their  divergences.  The  second 
is  a  presentation  (at  the  risk  of  some  repetition)  of  evidence  that 
this  portion  of  the  tale  has  suffered  contamination  from  the  Red 
Knight-Witch-Uncle  story.  The  third  thing  is  a  discussion  of 
what  I  may  term  loosely  the  Saracen  Influence,  in  which  I  set 
forth  certain  grounds  for  believing  that  there  is  consanguinity 
between  this  portion  of  SP,  Book  I  of  W,  and  the  concluding  parts 
of  Conall. 

The  nine  incidents  of  SP  are  as  follows: 

XIV.  Perceval  went  from  his  Uncle's  Hall  to  the  relief  of  the  Lady,  and 
the  messenger  continued  to  the  court  to  secure  the  aid  of  the  King.  Arthur 
first  refused  to  go;  but  when  the  messenger  mentioned  Perceval,  Arthur 
became  interested,  and,  calling  three  of  his  best  knights,  set  out  to  overtake  the 


8o  SIR  PERCEVAL  OF   GALLES 

hero.  XV.  Perceval  made  his  way  to  the  castle,  and  in  the  night  came  unex- 
pectedly upon  the  night  army  of  the  besiegers,  all  of  whom  he  slew  before  day- 
light, escaping  himself  unharmed.  Then  he  lay  down  beside  the  castle  (city  ?) 
wall  and  slept.  XVI.  Next  morning  the  Lady  found  her  enemies  slain  and 
saw  Perceval  lying  asleep.  She  sent  her  chamberlain  to  invite  Perceval  into 
the  castle.  He  went  and  was  richly  entertained.  XVII.  While  all  in  the 
castle  were  dining,  a  second  army  (the  day  army)  almost  captured  the  city. 
Perceval  armed  himself,  attacked  them,  and  slew  every  one.  XVIII.  Glan- 
cing around,  Perceval  observed  four  knights  approaching.  He  supposed  them 
the  Sowdane  and  his  companions,  and  rode  against  them.  They  were  really 
Arthur  and  his  knights.  It  fell  to  Gawain's  lot  to  encounter  Perceval.  After 
a  short  and  sharp  joust,  the  two  recognized  each  other.  XIX.  The  ELing 
and  his  three  knights  were  then  entertained  in  Lufamour's  castle.  XX. 
Next  day  the  Sowdane  came  before  the  castle  wall,  offered  defiance,  and  was 
encountered  and  slain  by  Perceval.  XXI.  The  hero  married  the  Lady  and 
dwelt  with  her  for  a  year.  XXII.  After  that  he  departed  to  go  in  search  of 
his  Mother.^ 

The  C  account  (2891-4162)  goes  thus: 

^  Perceval  left  the  castle  of  Gornemans  to  go  in  search  of  his  mother,  and 
came,  a  distance  thence,  quite  accidentally  to  a  castle.  A  knock  at  the  castle 
gate  procured  a  night's  lodging  for  him.  ^  After  a  melancholy  supper  he  was 
shown  to  his  bed,  but  at  midnight  he  was  roused  by  weeping  and  saw  beside 
him  the  Lady  of  the  castle,  who  had  come  to  seek  his  advice.  She  was  in  dis- 
tress because  her  castle  was  besieged  by  Clamadex,  who  sought  to  marry  her. 
Her  garrison  could  hold  out  only  a  day  or  two  longer,  weakened  by  fighting  and 

'  The  Lady  is  in  SP  Lufamour,  whose  father,  "erne"  (uncle),  and  brothers  (gSg-gi)  have 
been  slain  by  the  Sowdane,  leaving  her  the  only  survivor  of  the  family;  in  C  Blancheflur  (3593), 
niece  of  Gornemans  (3093),  niece  of  other  uncles,  one  of  whom  is  "pious"  (3103,  etc.),  and  her 
father  has  been  slain  by  Guigrenons  (3452-56) ;  in  W  Condwiramur(s)  (cf .  Bartsch's  note  to  Book 

III,  1856,  =" Coin  de  voire  amors"),  niece  of  Gurnemanz  (daughter  of  his  sister,  IV,  315), 
and  niece  of  two  holy  men  (Kyot  and  Manpfiljot,  brothers  of  the  Lady's  father,  Tampentiere, 

IV,  219  £f.,  327  ff.);  in  Pd  nameless,  but  her  father  had  had  the  best  earldom  in  the  realm;  in 
G  niece  of  Gurnemans  (Potvin,  VI,  191).  In  SF  (1339,  1560,  etc.)  and  W  (IV,  283)  she  is 
a  queen.  InCa  brother  (frere  giermain)  of  Gornemans  has  been  slain  by  Guigrenons  (3468-85); 
in  W,  a  son  of  Gurnemanz  (Schentaflur,  IV,  564-65). 

The  Besieger  is  in  SP  a  Sowdane  (  =  Sultan),  GoUerothirame;  in  C  Clamadius  (King  of 
the  Isles)  and  Guigrenons  (his  seneschal) ;  in  W  Clamide  and  Kingrun  (his  seneschal) ;  in  Pd 
an  earl  (son  of  an  earl)  and  two  of  his  household  officers.  Perlesvaus  has  a  knight  Clamados  des 
Onbres,  son  of  the  Red  Knight  (not  the  Red  Knight  [  ?]  of  SP,  C,  etc.)  slain  by  Perceval  before 
he  leaves  the  home  forest  (Potvin,  I,  117  ff.). 

In  C  the  siege  has  lasted  a  winter  and  a  summer  (and  now  it  is  spring) . 

The  castle  besieged  is  in  SP  in  Maiden  Land  ( ?  =  Castle  of  Maidens,  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land); in  C  Beaurepaire;  in  W  Pelrepeire,  in  the  kingdom  of  Brobarz  (IV,  35-36);  in  G  Bel- 
repaire.  Cf.  a  Castle  of  Maidens  in  Wauchier  (26866-67);  in  Fergus  (see  also  "Introduction," 
Martin's  ed.,  p.  xix.)  In  Bel  Inconnu  (5360),  BI  comes  to  the  Castle  of  Maidens.  Cf.,  also, 
the  Castle  of  Maidens  in  Pierre  de  Langtoft  {Rerum  Brit.  Med.  Aevi  Scrip.,  I,  31);  etc. 


THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  BESIEGED  LADY  8 1 

reduced  to  extremity  by  a  rigorous  famine.  Perceval  promised  her  aid,  and 
comforted  her.  ^  Next  morning  Perceval  armed  and  rode  to  where  Guingre- 
nons'  (seneschal  of  Clamadex)  sat  before  his  tent.  After  a  battle  in  which  the 
seneschal  was  hurt,  he — the  seneschal — was  forced  to  beg  for  mercy;  he  pleaded, 
however,  not  to  be  sent  to  either  Blancheflur  or  Gornemans,  who  would  have 
him  put  to  death  because  of  the  harm  he  had  done  them.  He  was  sent  to 
King  Arthur.  ^  Clamadex  rejoining  his  army  was  surprised  to  learn  of  the 
fate  of  Guingrenons.  At  the  advice  of  an  old  knight,  he  stormed  the  castle 
with  his  army,  but  was  repulsed.  Then  he  decided  to  starve  the  garrison, 
but  paroled  prisoners  soon  told  him  the  famine  had  been  relieved  by  the  arrival 
of  a  ship  loaded  with  provisions.  If  Clamadex  sent  to  the  castle  to  challenge 
any  champion  to  single  combat.  Perceval  rode  against  him,  and  after  a  great 
struggle  forced  him  to  promise,  as  the  seneschal  had  done,  to  free  his  prisoners, 
to  go  with  a  message  to  Arthur's  court,  and  to  cease  annoying  Blancheflur. 
^  Perceval  tarried  with  Blancheflur  for  a  short  while.  ^  Then  remembering 
his  mother,  he  set  off  to  find  her,  promising  to  return  to  Blancheflur  whether 

he  found  his  mother  alive  or  dead H  [After  several  intervening  incidents 

have  been  recounted]  the  arrival  and  stories  of  the  knights  Perceval  has 
overthrown  (Guingrenons,  Clamadex,  and  Orguellous'')  arouse  Arthur  to  a 
determination  to  go  to  seek  Perceval  (cf.  11.  5376-5539)- 

Of  the  nine  incidents  of  SP,  six,  more  or  less  the  same,  appear 
in  C.  These  two  versions  and  W  and  Pd  are  held  together  by  two 
fundamental  agreements:  the  Lady  to  be  rescued  is  besieged  by 
human  beings  who  make  no  use  of  magic  (in  C,  W,  and  Pd  they  are 
knights  of  the  normal  sort,  and  in  SP,  though  Saracens,  they  are 
but  slightly  removed  from  such) ;  and  the  rescue  is  secured  by  three 
battles. 

But  even  though  in  general  outhne  SP  and  C  show  agreements, 
they  also  show  marked  differences  in  both  substance  and  sequence 
of  events.  Four  of  the  most  noticeable  differences  may  be  pointed 
out.  They  are  first  stated  here  in  a  group,  and  later  discussed 
separately,  (i)  Three  of  the  nine  incidents  do  not  occur  in  C 
at  all — the  battle  with  Gawain,  the  entertainment  of  the  King, 
and  the  marriage  to  the  Besieged  Lady.  Pd  likewise  lacks  these 
three  incidents;  W  has  the  marriage,  and  at  a  much  later  place  in 
the  tale  the  joust  with  Gawain,  but  not  the  entertainment  of  the 
King.     (2)  In  SP  Arthur  is  roused  to  a  determination  to  seek  Perce- 

'  The  spelling  of  proper  names  varies  in  C.     I  have  not  attempted  to  make  it  uniform. 
'  Orguellous  is  the  Tent  Lord,  whose  story  comes  later;  cf.  chap.  v. 


82  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

val  by  the  coming  of  Luf amour's  messenger;  in  C  (and  W)  he  sets 
out  to  seek  the  hero  only  after  the  arrival  of  the  Besiegers,  whom 
Perceval  has  conquered  and  sent  to  court  with  messages.  (3) 
SP  and  C  differ  in  the  time  (of  day)  and  the  nature  of  the  first 
battle.  (4)  The  nature  of  the  Besieger  and  his  followers  is  different 
in  the  two  accounts. 

1 .  Of  the  three  incidents  not  occurring  in  C  two  are  reserved  for 
discussion  in  chapter  V,  infra,  because  they  appear  to  be  parts  of  a 
story  taken  up  there.  The  marriage  between  hero  and  heroine 
shows  only  the  more  clearly  what  we  have  observed  many  times 
already:  the  affinity  between  SP  and  W.  In  (the  unfinished) 
C  Perceval  does  not  marry  the  Besieged  Lady;  in  SP,  W,  and  G 
he  does.  Concerning  the  offspring  of  the  marriage  SP  is  silent; 
but  W  and  G  show  agreements  so  substantial  as  to  prove  them  taken 
the  one  from  the  other  or  both  from  a  common  and  almost  immedi- 
ate source. 

2.  The  suggestion  has  been  made  by  some  students  that  5P's 
messenger^  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  knights  Perceval  overthrows — 
in  other  versions — and  sends  to  Arthur.  The  first  knights  so  to 
be  treated  in  C  are  the  Besiegers;  and  it  is  because  of  their  reports 
of  the  hero's  valorous  deeds  that  the  King  wishes  to  add  Perceval 
to  his  household.  The  incident  there  is  well  motivated.  But  in 
SP  the  motivation  is  bad  enough  to  arouse  suspicion;  for  Gawain 
has  reported  Perceval's  overthrow  of  the  Red  Knight,  and  the 
messenger  has  no  new  evidence  of  the  hero's  prowess;  yet  King 
Arthur  leaves  a  sick-bed  to  go  in  search  of  him.  The  messenger 
in  SP  is  doubtless,  as  I  have  already  stated,  preserved  from  the 
form  of  the  tale  as  it  was  before  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story 

'  In  SP  the  King  is  at  Bath  when  Lufamour's  messenger  arrives  seeking  his  aid,  which 
Arthur,  being  sick,  refuses;  the  messenger  speaks  of  a  knight,  and  when  upon  inquiry  Arthur 
learns  that  Perceval  has  started  to  the  relief  of  the  Lady,  he  rises,  takes  three  knights  with  him, 
and  rides  after  Perceval.  In  C,  after  Perceval  has  relieved  the  Besieged  Lady  and  reinstated 
the  Tent  Lady  (4865-5372,  a  later  incident;  cf.  infra),  the  knights  he  has  overthrown  come  to 
court,  at  Carlion,  with  Perceval's  messages;  upon  the  arrival  of  the  third  (Li  Orguellous,  the 
Tent  Lord),  Arthur  is  roused  to  seek  Perceval.  In  W  the  account  is  much  the  same.  In  Pd 
the  hero  overthrows  eighteen  knights  before  he  comes  near  the  Besieged  Castle,  and  sends  them 
to  court,  whereupon  Arthur  determines  to  search  all  the  island  for  him. 

Carebedd  {SP,  io62)=Caer  Badon,  the  City  of  Baths;  cf.  for  one  reference,  Trevisa's 
Higden,  Polychronicon  (Lond.,  Longmans  Green  &  Co.,  i86g),  p.  55,  "Caerbadown,  |)at  is, 
Bat)e 


THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  BESIEGED  LADY  83 

was  incorporated.  When  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story 
was  inserted,  the  appearance  of  the  Red  Knight  replaced  the  arrival 
of  the  messenger.  In  the  Grail  group  the  Lady's  messenger  disap- 
peared altogether.  This  explanation  leaves  a  seeming  difficulty : 
in  the  earlier  form  of  the  tale  how  did  the  King  learn  of  the  hero's 
whereabouts  ?  But  the  difficulty  is  only  a  seeming  one :  in  C  the 
news  the  King  hears  is  that  Perceval  has  succeeded  in  his  adventure ; 
and  if  we  turn  to  Card,  we  find  that  Carduino  sent  a  messenger  to 
court  to  announce  his  success  in  freeing  the  enchanted  lady/  and 
that  in  consequence  Arthur  sent  an  embassy  to  him.  In  SP,  as 
stated  above,  the  motivation  is  bad;  and  the  reason  is  that  5P's 
messenger  is  in  part  a  relic  of  the  second  messenger,  who  announced 
success.  In  the  earlier  form  of  the  tale  doubtless  the  Besiegers  were 
all  destroyed,  as  in  SP  and  Card,  and  there  were  two  messengers. 
Under  the  refining  hand  of  Crestien  or  his  predecessor,  the  Besiegers 
were  made  into  fine  knights,  were  preserved  alive,  and  were  sub- 
stituted for  the  messenger  of  victory  as  envoys  to  court.  Thus, 
instead  of  5P's  messenger  being  a  reminiscence  of  the  conquered 
knights  of  C,  the  latter  are  a  reminiscence  of  a  messenger  whose 
existence  is  but  dimly  hinted  at  in  SP.  The  disappearance  of  the 
second  messenger  from  SP,  or  the  more  probable  coalescence  of  the 
two  messengers,  is  due  to  the  incorporation  into  the  tale  of  another 
story,  which  is  to  be  considered  in  the  next  chapter. 

3.  In  C,  after  Perceval  has  approached  the  Besieged  Castle  and 
spent  a  night  there  without  having  seen  a  besieger,  he  goes  out  in 
the  morning  after  breakfast  time,  and  does  battle  against  Guigre- 
nons ;  and  the  two  knights  observe  all  the  conventions  of  chivalry : 
in  SP  the  hero,  approaching  the  castle  for  the  first  time,  rides  at 
dusk  unsuspectingly  into  the  midst  of  the  camp  of  the  night  army^ 
of  the  besiegers,  is  challenged,  lays  about  him  with  more  than 

'  The  statement  in  Card  (second  canto,  kvi-lxviii)  is  not  made  distinctly,  but  the  implica- 
tion is  indubitable. 

'  The  Sowdane's  army  consists  of  twenty  score  men,  eleven  score  to  guard  by  night  and 
ten  score  {pace  the  arithmetician)  by  day;  at  present  the  Sowdane  is  away  hunting  {SP,  1133- 
38).  Crestien  (3505-7,  3604-14)  intimates — though  none  too  clearly — that  the  besiegers 
are  in  two  armies.  W,  Uke  SP,  announces  plainly  that  the  besieging  army  is  in  two  di\'isions 
(IV,  731-36,  764-65).  The  whereabouts  of  SFs  day  army  are  not  stated;  it  vanishes.  The 
phenomenon  is  perhaps  due  to  the  influence  of  the  magic  army  of  the  other  story,  which,  slain 
by  day,  was  revived  by  night  and  ready  for  battle  ne.xt  day. 


84  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

knightly  vigor,  slays  eleven  score  men,  and  lies  down  to  sleep  till 
daylight.  The  details  are  so  different  that,  except  in  the  broadest 
outline,  the  two  accounts  are  not  comparable.  Neither  is  drawn 
from  the  other.  The  source  of  SP's  account,  however,  is  easy  to 
see.^  We  have  here  contamination  from  the  story  of  the  preceding 
chapter.  It  will  be  recalled  that  in  the  more  nearly  complete 
form  of  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story  the  hero,  after  he  has 
been  entertained  by  his  Relatives  and  heard  the  story  of  their 
long-drawn-out  battle,  goes  out  alone  to  battle  against  their  enemies 
(forty  in  G,  over  a  hundred  in  Red  Sh,  hosts  in  other  tales),  slays 
them  all,  lies  down  by  night  to  sleep  on  the  battlefield,  in  the  middle 
of  the  night  is  roused  by  the  Crone,  whom  he  slays,  and  later  is 
found  by  his  Relatives,  who  lead  him  to  their  home  (hall,  castle, 
or  city).  Now  compare  the  details  in  SP.  In  the  Red  Knight- 
Witch-Uncle  portion  of  the  English  tale,  the  hero  meets  and  slays 
the  Witch  in  the  daytime  (the  previous  night's  history  is  a  mystery) 
before  he  meets  the  Uncle,  and  in  that  portion  SP  presents  no  battle 
against  a  host.  Next  he  visits  the  home  of  the  Uncle  and  the  Young 
Men,  learns  of  a  long-drawn-out  contest  (Lufamour's,  told  by  her 
messenger — a  substitute  for  the  Relatives',  told  by  themselves), 
sets  off  to  assist,  comes  upon  a  host  whom  he  slays  in  the  night  time, 
lies  down  on  the  battlefield,  and  is  later  found  by  Hatlayne,^  who 
leads  him  into  the  Lady's  castle.  SP,  then,  shows  clearly  the  con- 
tamination^ of  one  story  with  the  other:  but  C  is,  I  believe,  not 
without  faint  traces  of  it,  very  faint,  yet  sufficient  to  warrant  us  in 

'  Various  romances  of  the  Arthur  and  of  the  Charlemagne  cycles  describe  battles  slightly 
like  that  of  SP.  Guy  of  Warwick's  deeds  against  the  Saracens  are  as  wonderful.  The  Great  Fool, 
in  O'Daly's  version,  overthrows  seven  score  guardians  of  a  fair  lady,  and  takes  the  lady  away. 
An  accoimt  approaching  still  nearer  is  that  of  the  titular  hero's  battle  at  night  against  great 
numbers  in  Sir  Degrevant  (1553  ff.,  Thornton  Romances).  Sowdanes  and  giants  occur  plenti- 
fully in  the  Charlemagne  cycle.  But  I  have  found  in  these  tales  no  incidents  especially  like 
those  in  SP. 

'With  Hatlayne  (SP,  1261-64)  cf.  the  Chastelayne  of  Morte  Arthure  (E.E.T.S.,  No.  8, 
reprint,  1871),  11.  2952,  3028,  and  Branscheid's  note  in  Anglia,  VIII,  Anzeiger,  215,  n.  4. 

^  The  contamination  mentioned  here  does  not  indicate  that  SP's  ancestor  came  twice  into 
contact  with  the  early  form  of  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story.  If  any  early  form  of  the  Per- 
ceval tale  contained  sufficient  material  to  supply  both  G  and  the  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  portion 
of  SP,  it  contained  an  abundance  for  this  battle.  And  the  confusion  that  we  perceive  in  the 
Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  portion  of  SP  already  is  decreased  rather  than  increased  by  this 
fragment  of  it  we  find  in  another  place. 


THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  BESIEGED  LADY  85 

thinking  that  SP  and  C  drew  this  portion  of  themselves  from  a  com- 
mon parentage.  The  kinship  has  been  transferred:  Gornemans 
is  uncle  to  Blancheflur;  and  Guigrenons,  explaining  his  refusal 
(when  Perceval  has  conquered  him)  to  go  as  prisoner  to  Gornemans, 
says  he  was  at  the  death  of  Blanchefiur's  father  and  was  the  slayer 
of  one  of  Gornemans'  brothers  ("freresgiermains")  in  this  war  (3452- 
85).  One  is  compelled  to  wonder  if  the  "freres  giermains"  was  not 
really  a  remnant  from  the  "foster  brothers"  of  the  hero  in  the  Red 
Knight-Witch-Uncle  story.  In  C  Gornemans  is  not  (?)  said  to 
have  had  sons,  but  in  W  he  has  had  three,  and  Kingrun  acknowledges 
himself  slayer  of  one  of  them  (IV,  564-65,  1046-52).  The  long 
duration  of  the  contest  waged  by  the  foster  brothers  (G  and  Red  Sh) 
had  a  raison  d'etre;  the  lengthiness  of  the  siege  of  Blancheflur  may 
be  a  coincidence,  but  it  is  more  likely  that  it  is  a  reminiscence  of  the 
long-drawn-out  combat  of  the  Relatives.  Unfortunately,  however, 
the  two  forces  that  evidently  were  at  work  in  C  (or  its  source) — 
the  excision  of  magic  and  the  refinement  of  rudeness — have  left 
little  testimony  as  to  source;  the  incident  has  been  conventionalized. 

The  accounts  of  the  second  and  third  battles  in  SP  and  C  are 
rather  more  comparable  than  those  of  the  first  battle,  but  here  SP 
stands  closer  to  W  than  to  C. 

4.  The  fourth  difference  between  SP  and  C  leads  to  a  discussion 
of  the  "Saracen  influence."  In  SP  the  Besiegers  are  under  a 
single  leader,  the  Sowdane  (Sultan)  Gollerothirame  ;^  and  his 
followers  are  Saracens,  arranged  in  two  divisions,  one  to  guard  by 
day,  the  other  by  night.  In  C  there  are  two  leaders,  Clamadex 
and  his  seneschal,  Guigrenons;  and  their  followers  are  ordinary 
men  of  the  country,  who  may  be  divided  into  two  armies.  (Cres- 
tien's  statement  is  not  very  clear;  in  W  there  is  certainly  the  two- 
fold division.)  Although  Clamadex  is  nominally  the  leader,  Gui- 
grenons seems  to  be  the  one  who  has  played  the  important  role 
in  the  past  and  merely-hinted-at  events.  In  Pd  the  WelsR  con- 
vention has  developed  three  leaders,  and  the  relief  of  the  Lady 
has  become  a  three  days'  tournament. 

'  Though  not  mentioned  here,  Gollerothirame's  brother,  a  heathen  giant,  occurs  later  in 
SP.  See  chap,  v,  infra.  Whether  the  one-leader  type  of  SP  or  the  two-leader  type  of  C  is 
the  older  I  see  no  way  of  telling. 


86  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

The  "Saracen  influence"  must  rely,  for  the  proof  of  its  existence, 
upon  portions  of  four  tales — SP,  W,  Conall,  Saudan  Og — and  a 
few  allusions  in  others.     The  material  may  first  be  summarized. 

SP. — If  In  Maiden  Land  (  =  Scotland)  lived  Luf amour,  mistress  of  a  city 
which  was  being  besieged  by  Gollerothirame,  a  Saracen  sowdane,  who  wished 
to  marry  her.  The  besieging  army  was  divided,  half  being  on  guard  by  night, 
half  by  day.  The  Sowdane  was  just  now  absent.  1[  Perceval  arrived  before 
the  Saracen  army  at  night.  He  rode  into  their  midst  and  fought  until  he  had 
slain  every  foe.  Then  he  lay  down  to  sleep  beside  the  city  (castle)  wall. 
^  Early  in  the  morning  he  was  perceived  by  Lufamour,  who  sent  her  chamber- 
lain to  invite  him  to  enter  the  court.  He  entered  and  was  richly  entertained 
by  Lufamour,  who  promised  to  marry  him  if  he  would  slay  the  Sowdane. 
][  Later,  the  day  army  attacked  town  and  castle.  Perceval  had  eaten  but 
little,  but  assisted  by  Lufamour,  he  armed  himself,  called  for  his  steed,  went 
out  to  battle,  and  by  noon  had  slain  all  his  enemies.  ^  After  that  he  and 
Gawain  fought  till  they  recognized  each  other.  The  two  were  kin,  either  nephew 
and  uncle  or  sons  of  sisters.  If  Perceval  conducted  Arthur  and  his  company 
to  the  castle,  and  aU  were  entertained  by  Lufamour.  ^  Next  morning  Gol- 
lerothirame cried  a  challenge  before  the  castle.  Perceval  met  him  and  slew 
him.  If  The  hero  returned  to  the  castle,  and  he  and  Lufamour  were  married. 
He  dwelt  with  her  a  year,  and  then  left  to  go  seek  his  mother  in  his  earlier  home. 

W. — ^  In  the  land  of  the  Moors  lived  Queen  Belakane,  in  the  city  of  Patela- 
munt,  which  was  being  besieged  by  Friedebrand,  Prince  of  Scotland,  to  avenge 
the  death  of  his  cousin  Eisenhart,  who  had  been  the  lover  of  Belakane  but 
had  been  accidentally  slain  in  a  joust  with  one  of  Belakane's  princes,  neither 
recognizing  the  other.  The  besiegers  were  divided,  one  part  being  the  Scotch 
army  accompanied  by  certain  Frenchmen,  the  other  the  army  of  Moors. 
%  Gahmuret,  seeking  adventures,  landed  in  the  harbor  below  Belakane's  palace. 
He  entered  the  town  and  was  richly  provided  for.  The  Queen  invited  him  to 
her  castle,  and  when  he  appeared  in  state,  requested  his  aid.  The  situation 
was  explained  to  him,  and  he  promised  his  help.  The  Burggrave  explained 
that  Heuteger  came  daily  before  the  city  wall  to  challenge  any  one  of  the 
besieged  to  joust  with  him.  That  evening  at  supper  time  the  Queen  and  her 
maidens  came  to  Gahmuret's  lodging  and  served  him.  If  After  a  night  of 
restlessness  (because  of  desire  to  fight  and  love  for  Belakane)  Gahmuret  armed 
and  rode  out  before  the  city.  Heuteger  approached.  The  Queen  watched 
the  conflict  from  her  window.'  Heuteger  was  unhorsed,  wounded,  and  forced 
to  surrender.  If  Shortly  afterward  Gaschier  was  overthrown  in  like  manner, 
and  sent  to  bid  the  Scotch  army  cease  its  attack.  ^  Kailet,  a  relative  of  Gahmu- 
ret, was  forced  by  Gaschier  to  refrain  from  any  joust  against  Gahmuret.  \  On 
a  fresh  steed  Gahmuret  went  before  the  Moorish  army,  overthrew  its  com- 

'  CI.  the  similar  statement  in  SP,  1399-1400;  the  item,  however,  is  a  commonplace. 


THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  BESIEGED  LADY  87 

mander  Rassalig,  and  compelled  him  to  stop  the  advance  of  the  Moorish  army. 
By  night  he  had  overthrown  twenty-four  knights.  ]{  Gahmuret,  re-entering 
the  town,  was  conducted  by  the  Queen  to  the  palace,  and  the  two  embraced. 
Soon  they  were  married.     Shortly  before  the  time  for  the  birth  of  a  son, 

Gahmuret  left  his  wife  to  return  to  his  earlier  home ^  The  hero  came 

before  Kanvoleis,  and  there  erected  the  tent  he  had  brought  from  the  East. 
It  had  belonged  to  Isenhart,  and  was  very  splendid  [and  possessed  magic 
qualities  ( ?)]. 

Conall. — ^  The  King  of  lubhar  was  being  attacked  by  the  Turks,  whose 
leader  was  the  "Big  Turk."  The  king  had  for  allies  the  king  of  Eirinn  (who 
had  married  his  sister)  and  his  two  older  sons.  The  youngest  son,  Conall, 
had  been  left  in  Eirinn.  1[  When  a  time  had  passed  and  Conall  had  heard 
nothing  of  his  father,  he  determined  to  go  and  seek  him.  He  was  accompanied 
by  his  minstrel  and  by  two  champions,  of  whom  one  was  the  king  of  Scotland, 
the  other  Garna  Sgiathlais,  king  of  Spain.  T[  When  they  reached  lubhar, 
the  fighting'  was  going  on.  Conall  and  Duanach  (his  minstrel — the  champions 
have  disappeared  for  the  time  being)  went  to  the  hostelry;  after  eating  supper 
they  went  to  bed.  %  Next  morning  they  were  aroused  bj^  the  sound  of  battle. 
Conall  went  out  and  fought,  mowing  down  Turks  like  thistles.  A  Big  Turk 
slew  the  men  of  lubhar  in  like  manner.  Conall  and  the  Big  Turk  met,  and 
Conall  slew  him.  The  living  Turks  fled,  and  the  men  of  lubhar  slew  all  they 
could  overtake.  Tf  Conall  and  Duanach  returned  to  their  hostelry,  ate,  and 
went  to  bed,  thinking  the  war  ended  by  the  slaughter  of  the  Turks.  ^  Next 
morning,  however,  the  battle  had  to  be  fought  over.  Again  Conall  slew  the 
Big  Turk,  and  the  other  Turks  fled.  ^  That  night  the  king  of  lubhar,  having 
decided  that  Conall  must  be  his  sister's  son  (how  he  knew  is  not  told),  went  to 
his  hostelry  to  inquire  about  him.  Conall  was  asleep,  Duanach  refused  to 
wake  him,  and  so  the  king  left  a  message:  "Tell  Conall  ....  that  his 
mother's  brother  came  to  visit  him,  and  that  he  wishes  to  see  him  at  the  house 
of  the  king  of  lubhar  tomorrow."  [^  The  third  day's  battle  has  been  sum- 
marized in  chap,  iii,  p.  53.]     ^  The  king  of  Eirinn  took  Conall  before  the  king 

of  lubhar No  less  would  suffice  the  brother  of  Conall's  mother  than  that 

Conall  should  be  crowned  king  of  the  realm  of  lubhar.  The  nobles  of  the 
realm  were  gathered,  a  great  feast  was  made,  and  Conall  was  crowned  king 
over  the  lubhair;  but  he  did  not  stay  in  that  realm.  With  his  father  and  his 
friends  he  returned  to  the  island  where  he  had  left  his  love  (Breast  of  Light), 
took  her  aboard  ship,  and  returned  to  Eirinn,  his  earlier  home. 

Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal  (a  variant  of  Conall). — ^  Ri  na  Durkach  (the 
King  of  the  Turks)  lived  long  in  Erin,  where  he  had  one  son,  Saudan  Og. 
When  twenty  years  old,  Saudan  Og  went  to  Spain  to  marry  the  daughter  of 

'  This  battle  was  of  no  service  to  Conall  in  winning  his  wife.  He  won  her  (much  earlier) 
by  a  single-handed  combat  against  hundreds  of  warriors  who  guarded  her  tower.  She  was 
connected  closely  with  Beinn  Eideinn,  or  Edinburgh  apparently.  Campbell  (III,  216,  note) 
considers  the  geography  hopelessly  mixed. 


88  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

the  King  of  Spain,  with  or  against  the  consent  of  that  king.  Tf  The  latter  sent 
messengers  to  Ri  Fohin,  Ri  Laian,  and  Conal  Gulban  to  ask  their  aid,  and  the 
three  kings  saUed  from  Eirinn  to  Spain.  When  leaving,  Gulban  took  his  two 
older  sons  with  him,  and  left  the  youngest  (named  Conal,  like  his  father)  to 
guard  the  kingdom.  ^  At  the  end  of  a  year  and  a  day,  young  Conal  set  off  to 
seek  a  wife.  He  came  to  the  Yellow  King's  castle  and  slew  all  the  fighting  men 
and  then  the  YeUow  King  himself.  He  entered  the  castle  by  springing  through 
an  upper  window,  and  there  was  cured  of  his  wounds  by  the  Yellow  King's 
daughter,  who  bathed  him  in  the  water  from  a  magic  well  that  was  in  the  castle. 
The  daughter  went  with  Conal ;  they  came  to  the  foot  of  a  wild  mountain 
(Beann  Edain),  and  Conal  had  to  sleep.  He  lay  with  his  head  in  the  lady's 
lap  for  three  days  and  two  nights.  Then  came  the  High  King  of  the  World  and 
took  the  lady  away,  but  not  before  she  had  written  a  letter  explaining  all  to 
Conal.  Four  days  later  Conal  had  finished  his  "hero's  sleep,"  roused,  and  set 
off  to  recover  his  bride.  T[  He  acquired  for  Traveling  Companions  Donach  the 
Druid,  two  (out  of  three)  brothers,  and  their  sister;  then  another,  the  Short 
Dun  Champion,  who  was  one  of  another  set  of  three  brothers.  If  Conal  and 
his  companions  found  the  castle  of  the  High  King  of  the  World,  recovered  the 
bride,  slew  the  High  King,  and  started  back  home.  ^  "On  their  way,  where 
should  they  saU  but  along  the  coast  of  Spain?"  They  saw  three  castles  and 
a  herd  of  cattle  grazing  near  them.  ^  One  after  the  other,  the  two  brothers 
went  to  ask  why  the  castles  were  built  near  together,  and  the  herdsman  by 
magic  turned  them  to  stone.  Next  Conal  went,  and  his  strength  was  greater 
than  the  herdsman's  magic;  Conal  overpowered  him,  and  forced  him  to  tell 
his  story.  ^  The  herdsman  recognized  Conal,  explained  that  he  and  Conal 
were  brothers,  restored  the  two  bewitched  Companions  from  stone  to  life,  and 
told  his  story:  "  Saudan  Og  arrived  in  Spain  the  day  before  we  did,  and  he  had 
one-third  of  the  kingdom  taken  before  us.  We  went  against  him  the  following 
day,  and  kept  him  inside  that  third,  and  we  have  neither  gained  nor  lost  since. 
The  King  of  Spain  had  a  castle  here:  my  father  and  the  King  of  Leinster  built 
a  second  castle  near  that;  Saudan  Og  built  the  third  near  the  two,  for  himself 
and  his  men,  and  that  is  why  the  castles  are  here.  We  are  ever  since  in  battle; 
Saudan  has  one-third,  and  we  the  rest  of  Spain."  ^  Conal  slew  the  Saudan  the 
next  day,  and  all  his  forces.  ^  He  provided  wives  for  his  brothers  and  Com- 
panions, and  all  returned  to  Erin.     End. 

(The  last  of  the  tale  is  greatly  condensed.  The  Hag  and  her  Balsam  are 
absent,  and  the  battle  is  abbreviated  into  nothingness.  But  the  "Saracen 
Influence"  is  much  in  evidence.  And  note  how  the  hero  has,  in  a  sense,  given 
his  own  name  to  his  father,  just  as  happened  in  SF.)  J.  Curtin,  Hero  Tales 
of  Ireland,  58-92. 

A  portion  of  Pd{b),  though,  in  its  present  shape  at  least,  it  does 
not  belong  with  this  group,  has  threads  of  connection  with  these 
tales;  a  summary  may  be  placed  here  for  reference. 


THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  BESIEGED  LADY  89 

^  Peredur  left  the  home  of  the  Three  Young  Men  to  go  to  fight  their  battle 
against  the  Addanc.    ^  On  the  way  he  found  a  beautiful  Lady  seated  on  a  mound, 
who  knew  his  purpose  and  gave  him  a  stone  of  victory  that  enabled  him  to  win 
his  contest.    She  made  him  promise  to  seek  her  afterward,  "seek  towards  India" ; 
and  then  she  vanished.     If  After  a  set  of  adventures,  Peredur  came  to  the  valley 
of  a  river,  and  found  there  a  vast  multitude  of  tents.     He  lodged  with  a  miller 
and  learned  from  him  that  "  the  Empress  of  Cristinobyl  the  Great"  was  holding 
tournament  to  select  the  most  valiant  of  men  for  her  husband.     He  spent  that 
night  with  the  miller,  and  the  next  day  went  out  to  behold  the  tournament  " 
(and  the  Empress) ,  but  did  no  fighting.     He  did  the  same  the  second  and  the 
third  day.     If  On  the  fourth  day  he  entered  the  tournament;  he  fought  (several 
days  ?)  till  he  overthrew  all.     H  The  Empress  sent  to  him  and  asked  him  to 
visit  her.     Three  embassies  he  refused.     A  wise  man  sought  him  and  prevailed 
upon  him  to  go.     Two  days  he  visited  her  in  her  tent.     If  On  the  second  day, 
while  he  and  she  were  discoursing  courteously,  a  Black  Man  entered,  bearing  a 
goblet  full  of  wine,  which  he  gave  to  the  Empress  with  the  request  that  she  give 
it  to  no  man  who  would  not  fight  with  him  for  it.     Peredur  asked  for  it,  and 
drank  the  wine.     ^  A  second  and  larger  Black  Man  soon  repeated  the  scene. 
^Shortly  afterward  "a  rough-looking,  crisp-haired  man,  taller  than  either 
of  the  others,"  came  with  a  bowl  of  wine,  and  the  scene  was  repeated.     If  That 
night  Peredur  returned  to  his  lodging;   next  morning  he  went  to  a  meadow, 
and  slew  all  three  men.     ^  "And  Peredur  was  entertained  by  the  empress 
fourteen  years,  as  the  story  relates." 

Before  pointing  out  the  grounds  for  a  belief  in  a  common  ancestry 
of  some  sort  for  these  accounts,  I  may  mention  two  barriers  in  the 
way  of  an  argument:  the  materials  (only  four  tales,  and  one  of 
them  a  variant  of  another)  are  too  scanty  to  furnish  evidence  upon 
which  we  may  rely  with  certainty;  and  the  account  in  each  of  the 
four  tales  has  been  subjected  to  the  influence  of  other  stories  in 
such  a  way  as  to  distort  it.  The  Crusading  influence  upon  Wolf- 
ram's tale  has  been  insisted  on  time  and  again.  5P's  account  of 
the  relief  of  the  Besieged  Lady  has  certainly  been  contaminated 
with  the  battle  in  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story — or  perhaps 
it  wifl  be  clearer  to  say  that  the  latter  battle  was  altered  when  it 
was  incorporated  into  the  account  of  the  siege.  And  the  Conall 
battle  suffered  in  the  process  of  its  incorporation  into  a  long  frame- 
tale.  The  divergences  are  apparent,  and  yet  it  is  highly  probable 
that  the  four  accounts  revert  to  the  same  source. 

A  table  will  not  help  us,  and  so  a  short  recapitulation  may  be 
substituted. 


90  SIR  PERCEVAL  OF   GALLES 

In  SP  the  hero  frees  Lufamour,  the  Scotch  Lady,  in  Scotland 
(Maydene  Land),  besieged  by  Saracens.  In  Conall  the  hero  cap- 
tures Breast  of  Light,  the  Lady  of  Beinn  Eideinn  (Edinburgh?), 
from  her  tower  strongly  guarded;  then  he  goes,  accompanied  by 
the  kings  of  Scotland  and  Spain,  to  the  realm  of  lubhar  to  free  his 
relatives^  (his  father,  his  two  brothers,  and  his  uncle,  the  King  of 
lubhar)  from  the  Turks.  In  W  the  hero's  father  frees  Belakane, 
the  Moorish  Lady,  in  Moorish  (Saracen)  land,  besieged  by  Moors 
and  the  Scotch  under  Friedebrand,  Prince  of  Scotland,  accompanied 
by  certain  Spaniards  and  Frenchmen,  one  of  whom,  at  any  rate, 
is  kin  to  the  rescuer.  In  Saudan  Og  the  hero  ....  goes  to  Spain, 
accompanied  by  Traveling  Companions,  and  there  slays  Saudan  Og, 
the  Young  Sultan,  son  of  the  King  of  the  Turks. 

In  SP  the  adventure  is  assigned  to  the  hero  alone;  in  Conall, 
jointly,  in  a  way,  to  the  hero  (accompanied  by  the  kings  of  Scot- 
land and  Spain)  and  his  father,  though  earlier  in  the  tale  we  have 
been  told  that  the  father  visited  this  same  country  and  found  there 
his  wife,  the  hero's  mother;  in  W  it  is  assigned  wholly  to  the  father, 
and  the  offspring  of  the  marriage  is  half-brother  to  the  hero.^  W  pre- 
sents an  odd  switching  around  of  parts:  the  Lady  is  the  Saracen, 
the  French  and  Spanish  Traveling  Companions  have  been  trans- 
ferred from  the  hero  to  his  enemies,  and  one  of  his  enemies  is  his 
kinsman. 

In  SP,  W,  Conall,  and  Pd{b)  the  hero  goes  from  the  home  of  his 
relatives  to  engage  in  this  battle:  from  the  home  of  Uncle  and 
Cousins  in  SP;  of  his  only  brother,  King  Galoes  (to  find  a  relative 
among  his  enemies),  in  W;  of  his  Uncle  in  Conall;  of  the  Three 
Young  Men  (=  foster  brothers)  at  the  instruction  of  the  Empress 
in  Pd{b). 

In  each  case  the  battle  is  in  three  parts  or  fought  on  three  days. 

The  similarity  is  evident.  That  the  accounts  are  related  seems 
indubitable.  And  the  common  source  can  perhaps  be  suggested 
with  a  fair  degree  of  certainty.     There  are  several  items  to  be  fol- 

'  The  kinship  here  is,  in  part,  a  contamination  from  the  kinship  in  the  Relatives-Hag 
story. 

"  So  far  as  I  can  see,  the  legends  of  Feirefiz  and  Morien  developed  or  were  incorporated  after 
the  time  when  the  ancestor  of  W  branched  ofi  from  the  parent  stock. 


THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  BESIEGED  LADY  QI 

lowed  as  clues:  Saracen,  Moor,  Turk;  Scotland;  Scotch,  French, 
Spanish  kings  as  Traveling  Companions  (in  W  they  are  shifted  to 
the  enemy's  camp) ;  three  battles,  etc. 

The  common  source  was  a  form  of  the  Red  Knight-Witch- 
Uncle  story  that  had  been  subjected  to  the  "Saracen  Influence." 
The  only  things  of  a  "Saracen  "  nature  that  exerted  any  "influence," 
I  think,  were  a  few  proper  names — not  either  incidents  or  events 
drawn  from  an  experience  with  Eastern  life.  To  show  that  these 
names  were  present,  that  they  were  merely  substitutes  for  vaguer 
names,  and  how  they  came  to  be  introduced,  is  the  purpose  of  the 
next  two  paragraphs. 

In  Gaehc  tales  (both  Scotch  and  Irish)  one  of  the  common  desig- 
nations for  the  realm  of  magic  and  monsters,  the  land  where  things 
happen,  is  "The  Eastern  World";  and  a  personage  of  mystery  and 
power  is  King  or  Prince  of  the  Eastern  World.  When  this  coun- 
try was  localized,  it  became,  depending  on  the  geographical  knowl- 
edge of  the  tale-teller,  Scotland,  Lochlann,  Alba,  Spain, ^  etc.  In 
reaching  it,  be  it  which  country  it  might,  the  hero  traveled  through 
other  lands,  and  these  in  turn  acquired — as  substitutes  for  their 
earlier  vaguer  and  more  mysterious  names,  like  Lonesome  Island, 
Golden  Mines,  D'yerree-in-Dowan,  or  what-not — such  geographical 
names  as  France,  Greece;  and  the  foes  the  hero  had  to  overcome 
became  Lochlanners  (the  Norse) ,^  Sassenach  (the  Saxons),  and  such. 
The  process  of  such  a  change  of  names  was  helped  and  hastened  when 
the  nations  mingled  in  the  borderlands  of  England  and  Scotland,^ 
say  from  a.d.  1066  on.  To  the  Englishman  or  Frenchman,  who  had 
heard  of  the  Saracens  in  the  East,  the  expression  "Eastern  World" 

'  Even  Prussia  occurs  in  "The  Son  of  the  King  of  Prussia,"  a  tale  in  which  the  hero's 
battle  for  the  Three  Young  Men  against  the  Hag's  host  appears  in  an  obscured  and  brief  way; 
vide  Larminie,  W.I.F.T.,  153  fi. 

'  Concerning  the  meaning  of  Lochlann,  see  an  article  by  A.  Bugge,  "  Contributions  to  the 
History  of  the  Norsemen  in  Ireland,  I,"  in  Skrifter  udgivne  af  videnskabsselskabet  i  Christiania 
(1900),  No.  4.  The  tellers  of  the  folk-tales,  however,  do  not  appear  to  have  attached  any  very 
definite  meaning  to  "Lochlann";   it  is  used  quite  as  vaguely  as  Greece  and  Spain. 

The  source  of  "  Gollerothirame,"  the  name  of  the  Sowdane  in  SP,  has  never  been  pointed  out. 
Is  it  possible  that  it  is,  say,  an  Englishman's  misrendering  of  the  phrase  "  Gille  Righ  Lochlann"  ? 

*  I  do  not  mean  to  intimate  that  the  use  of  "Saracen"  in  this  fashion  occurred  only  in  this 
territory.  A  disposition  to  use  it  so  is  noticeable  early  and  was  widespread.  Heathen  Normans 
appear  in  mediaeval  Uterature  as  "Saracens."  For  what  is  apparently  a  late  substitution, 
cf.  the  "Souden  Turk"  of  the  ballad  "Outlaw  Murray"  and  the  notes  in  Child's  Eng.  and 
Scot.  Pop.  Ballads,  V,  185  ff.,  esp.  var.  C,  1.  22. 


92  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

would  inevitably  suggest  the  Saracens:  when  the  Gaels  learned  of 
the  Frenchman's  and  the  Englishman's  "East,"  his  own  expression 
acquired  a  new  connotation  for  him.  If  a  Gael  substituted  his 
hereditary  enemy,  the  Saxon,  for  his  hero's  more  mysterious  enemy, 
any  confusion  that  would  arise — through  a  Frenchman's  or  an 
Englishman's  mishearing  or  misinterpretation — between  Saxon 
{Sassun  in  Gaelic,  Saisson  in  French)  and  Saracen'  would  hasten 
the  change. 

Subsidiary  evidence  pointing  likewise  to  such  an  evolution  in 
nomenclature  is  to  be  had  outside  of  our  four  tales.  In  PC,  Perce- 
val's mother  announces  her  intention  to  retire  into  Scotland,  a 
connection  with  Scotland  being  thus  established  with  a  Perceval 
tale  that  has  some  intimate  resemblances  to  the  earlier  parts  of 
SP  and  W.  The  story  of  a  "  Saxon  "  battle  is  several  times  referred  to 
in  the  mazes  of  the  Prose  Tristan.'^  The  tent  of  the  Scotch  Eisen- 
hart,  which  Gahmuret  brings  from  Belakane's  land  (W,  I,  795-98; 
II,  73  ff.),  is  to  be  compared  with  the  tent  that  Palamedes  "the 
Saracen"  (out  of  Saxon?)  receives  from  the  Scotch  Queen  {Prose 
Tristan,  p.  102,   §128).^ 

Because  of  the  cleavage  it  introduces  into  the  group  of  associated 

'  None  of  my  readers  will  make  the  mistake,  which  sometimes  has  been  made,  of  supposing 
that  because  these  tales  use  the  word  Saracen,  therefore  they  must  have  originated  after  the 
tale-tellers  learned  the  use  of  that  word.  Dr.  Douglass  Hyde  expressed  the  opinion  {Beside  the 
Fire,  p.  xxxii)  that  Conall  was  invented  after  the  fall  of  Constantinople,  arguing  from  the  names 
and  allusions;  but  Mr.  Alfred  Nutt  {ibid.,  p.  Ui)  sufficiently  refuted  the  assumption. 

Robert  Hunt  wrote:  "The  term  Saracen  is  always  now  supposed  to  apply  to  the  Moors. 
This  is  not  exactly  correct.  Percy,  for  example,  in  his  'Essay  on  the  Ancient  Minstrels,'  says, 
'The  old  metrical  romance  of  "Horn  Child,"  which,  although  from  the  mention  of  Saracens, 
etc.,  it  must  have  been  written,  at  least,  after  the  First  Crusade,  in  1096,  yet  from  its  Anglo- 
Saxon  language  or  idiom,  can  scarcely  be  dated  later  than  within  a  century  of  the 
Conquest.'  ....  It  would  not  be  a  difficult  task  to  show  that  the  word  Saracen,  as  used 
in  Cornwall, — 'Atal  Saracen!'  'Oh,  he's  a  Saracen,'  etc.,  was  appUed  to  the  foreigners  who 
traded  with  this  country  for  tin — at  a  very  early  period." — Popular  Romances  of  the  West  of 
England,  sec.  ser.,  Lond.  (1865),  p.  292. 

'  E.g.,  the  knights  of  Orcanie  (Orkney)  take  part  in  the  war  of  the  Saxons  against  Win- 
chester. Cf.  L'-'seth's  Index,  "Orcanie";  cf.,  also,  the  "Castle  des  Saracens,"  which  appears 
to  be  in  Britain.  And  cf.  Malory,  Book  X,  chap,  xxxii:  ....  "Saracens  landed  in  the  country 
of  Cornwall,  soon  after  these  Sessoins  were  gone."  North-of-England  connections  exist  in 
W's  "Ither  of  Kukumerlant"  (if  this  equals  Cumberland)  and  in  Meriaduec's  "Gernemant  [cf. 
C's  Gomemant]  of  Norhombellande." 

'  Rhys's  equation  may  not  assist — it  does  not  antagonize — my  evidence:  Palomedes  =  Pabo 
Prydein,  Pabo  of  Pictland;  and  Pellinor  =  EUver.  "The  tradition  is  that  Pabo  was  a  king  who 
became  a  saint,  and  this  answers  to  Malory's  story,  that  Palomydes  was  a  Saracen  who  was 


THE  RELIEF  OE  THE  BESIEGED  LADY  Q3 

tales,  this  "Saracen  Influence"  leaves  us  with  a  pretty  problem. 
Among  the  Scotch  and  Irish  tales  there  are  some  that  do  not  show 
the  Saracen  influence;  e.g.,  the  place  of  combat  is  in  Red  Sh  and 
Ransom  an  island  girt  with  fire,  in  Manus  and  Big  Men  the 
Land  of  Big  Men,  in  Lawn  Dyarrig  the  Eastern  World;  and  the 
enemies  are  supernatural  but  not  Saracen.  Some  tales  are  in  a 
middle  position;  as  Champion,  in  which  the  battle  occurs  in  a 
land  beyond  Greece,  but  the  enemies  are  not  Saracens.  Other 
tales  manifest  the  influence  unmistakably;  in  Saudan  Og  the  land 
is  Spain,  and  the  enemy  the  Young  Sultan;  in  Conall  the  locality 
is  vague  (lubhar,  Turkey  in  a  variant)  but  the  enemies  are  Saracens 
(really,  Turks) .  The  problem  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  same  cleavage 
appears  in  the  Perceval  tales.  C  and  G  never  suffered,  or  else 
wholly  cast  off,  any  Saracen  influence;  SP,  W,  and  Pd{b)  show  its 
effects.  The  problem  is:  Was  the  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  story 
subjected  to  the  Saracen  influence  before  it  was  incorporated  into 
other  materials  to  form  the  Perceval  tale,  and  then  did  C  and  G 
(their  source  or  sources)  eject  all  traces  of  that  influence  ?  Or, 
on  the  other  hand,  did  the  Perceval  tale  as  such  linger  long  enough 
in  the  land  of  its  birth  to  exist  in  at  least  two  variants,  one  showing 
the  Saracen  influence,  one  not  ?  The  solution  remains  yet  to  be 
discovered. 

converted  to  Christianity" — one  day  after  fighting  Galleron  of  Galway  and  Tristan  (cf. 
Malory,  XII,  xii-xiv;  and  Rhys,  Arth.  Leg.,  p.  298).  It  is  interesting  that  the  Palomydes- 
uncle-of-Perceval  version  and  the  Gahmuret-father-of-Perceval  version  have  the  tent  for  a 
common  possession;    cf.  the  tent  in  Lanzelet,  4735  fif. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED 

[Eighteenth,  Nineteenth,  Twenty-first  Incidents  (see  pp.  78-79,  supra)] 
Twenty-third  Incident:  The  Tent  Lady  Again 

I.  SP,  1817-84. 
II.  Pd,  260. 

III.  C,  4865-5072. 

IV.  W,  V,  960-1097. 

Twenty-fourth  Incident:  The  Overthrow  of  the  Tent  Lord 
I.  SP,  1885-1948. 
II.  W,  V,  1098-1435- 

III.  C,  5073-5375  (204  of  these  lines  occur  in  MS  Mens  only). 

IV.  Pd,  260-61. 

Twenty-fifth  Incident:  The  Hero  Slays  a  Giant 

I.  SP,  1949-2 104. 
C,  W,  Pd,  wanting. 

Twenty-sixth  Incident:  Perceval  Hears  News  of  His  Mother 

A.  Mother  and  Son  Reunited 

I.  SP,  2105-2272. 

B.  Mother's  Death 

II.  C,  4748-4801,  7761-93;   Pd,  254-55. 
III.  W,  IX,  1280-1320. 

Twenty-seventh  Incident:  Reunion  of  Husband  and  Wife 

I.  SP,  2273-2280. 
IL  G,  189  ff. 
III.  W,  XVI,  361-434. 

Compare  the  conclusions  of  Ty,  Card,  Red  Sh. 

Twenty-eighth  Incident:  The  Death  of  the  Hero 
I.  SP,  2281-88. 


The  Falsely  Accused  Lady  Also  Appears  in 

Yv. — Yvain,  Foerster's  ed.  (1906). 

LF. — The  Lady  oj  the  Fountain,  Nutt's  reprint  of  Lady  Guest's  Mahinogion, 
pp.  167-96;  Loth,  II,  1-43. 

94 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED        95 

In  this  chapter  nine  incidents  will  be  discussed.  They  are 
subdivided  into  two  groups :  the  first  group  includes  three  incidents 
postponed  from  the  preceding  chapter  and  four  that  are  to  be 
summarized  below;  the  second  group  embraces  only  the  two  inci- 
dents that  bring  SP  to  an  end.  The  seven  incidents  of  the  first 
group  constitute  the  last  of  the  "stories"  that  seem  to  me  to  have 
entered  into  the  composition  of  the  Perceval  tale  as  it  appears  in 
SP.  Evidence  for  the  existence  of  this  story  outside  of  SP  appears 
in  two  versions  of  the  Iwain  tale.  W  and  the  tale  of  Erec  furnish 
cumulative  evidence. 

First  the  divergences  between  SP  and  C  will  be  pointed  out; 
then  the  Tent  Lady-Giant  story  will  be  taken  up. 

A  summary  of  the  English  poem  will  make  the  remainder  of 
the  tale  clear: 

XXIII.  Leaving  Lufamour's  castle,  Perceval  rode  forward  till  he  came 
where  the  Tent  Lady  was  bound  to  a  tree.  He  freed  her,  and  had  from 
her  the  account  of  how  she  was  being  punished  by  her  husband  for  her  sup- 
posed infidelity  at  the  time  of  Perceval's  visit  to  her  tent.  XXIV.  The  Tent 
Lord  rode  up,  and  was  overthrown  by  the  hero  and  compelled  to  restore  the 
Lady  to  favor.  XXV.  When  Perceval  offered  to  return  the  Lady's  ring  if 
his  own  were  restored  to  him,  he  learned  that  the  ring  had  been  given  to  a 
fell  Giant;  he  set  off  to  the  Giant's  hold  to  seek  it,  and  there  encountered  and 
slew  the  Giant,  who  had  been  persecuting  his  (Perceval's)  mother.  XXVI. 
Told  by  the  Giant's  porter  that  his  mother  was  in  the  neighboring  forest, 
he  went  to  seek  her,  found  her  demented,  returned  to  the  Giant's  hold  with  her, 
and  by  the  aid  of  the  benevolent  porter  cured  her  by  a  (magic)  drink.  XXVII. 
With  his  mother  he  returned  to  his  queen-wife  and  his  realm.  XXVIII. 
Afterward  he  went  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  there  he  was  slain.     Finis. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  have  next  an  outline  by  incidents  of  SP, 
C,  W,  and  Pd,  and  useful,  because  it  will  free  us  from  the  necessity 
of  summarizing  the  latter  part  of  C. 

SP.—^  Father's  Marriage  H  His  Death  If  Mother's  Flight  '  If  Boyish 
Exploits  ^  Religious  Instruction  If  Forest  Knights  ^  Advice  ^  First  Tent 
Lady  If  Court  ^  Red  Knight's  Insult  If  His  Death  ^  Witch  If  Uncle 
If  Messenger  ^  First  Battle  ^  Entering  the  Castle  ^  Second  Battle 
^  Gawain  Encounter  ^  Arthur  Entertained  If  Third  Battle  If  Marriage 
^  Departure  ]f  Second  Tent  Lady  If  Tent  Lord  If  Giant  ^  Reunion  with 
Mother    ^  Return  to  Lufamour    ^  Death. 

C— If  Forest  Knights    If  Advice     If  Mother's  Death    If  First  Tent  Lady 


96  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

^  First  Red  Knight  If  Court  ^  Second  Red  Knight  (Death)  ^  Gome- 
mans  ^  Entering  Besieged  Castle  *[f  First  Battle  ]f  Second  If  Third  Battle 
^Departure  If  Grail  Castle  If  "  Giermaine  Cosine"  (  =  Sigune)  ^Second 
Tent    Lady     ^  Tent    Lord     ^  Arthur's    Search     ^  Snow    Scene     ^  Second 

Court     ^  Loathly  Damsel (Most  of  the  rest  of  C  concerns  Gawain's 

deeds.) 

W. — ^  Belakane  ^  Father's  Marriage  (to  Herzeloyde)  ^  His  Death 
^  Mother's  Flight  ^  Boyish  Exploits  ^  Religious  Instruction  If  Forest 
Knights  If  Advice  If  Mother's  Death  ^  First  Tent  Lady  ^  First  Sigune 
If  First  Red  Knight  ^  Court  If  Second  Red  Knight  (Death)  If  Gurne- 
manz  ^  Entering  Besieged  Castle  If  First  ^  Second  ^  Third  Battle  ^  Mar- 
riage ^  Departure  If  First  Grail  Castle  If  Second  Sigune  ^  Second  Tent 
Lady  If  Tent  Lord  ^  Arthur's  Search  ^  Snow  Scene  ^  Second  Court 
^  Cundrie  .  .  .  .  ^  Gawain  Encounter  .  .  .  .  Tf  Reunion  with  Condwiramur. 

PJ.— If  Father's  Death  ^  Mother's  Flight  If  Boyish  Exploits  If  Forest 
Knights  ^  Advice  If  First  Tent  Lady  If  Red  Knight's  Insult  Tf  Court 
If  Red  Knight's  Death  If  Unknown  Knight  Sent  to  Arthur  ^  Sixteen  Knights 
ditto  If  Lame  Uncle  %  Castle  of  Lance  and  Salver  ^  Foster  Sister  If  Arthur's 
Search  (part)  ^  Entering  Besieged  Castle  If  First  ^  Second  ^  Third 
Battle  If  Departure  If  Second  Tent  Lady  If  Tent  Lord  If  First  Nine 
Sorceresses  If  Snow  Scene  (Arthur's  Search,  completed)  ^  Second  Court 
(^  Adventures,   pp.    266-70)     ^  Pd{b}     ^  Loathly   Damsel     If 

A  glance  at  the  foregoing  outlines  shows  that,  for  the  portion  of 
the  tale  that  succeeds  Perceval's  departure  from  the  castle  of  the 
Lady  whom  he  has  rescued  from  siege,  SP  and  C  agree  upon  only- 
two  incidents;  though  one  of  Cs  incidents  (Arthur's  search  for  the 
hero)  finds  its  equivalent  in  an  earlier  part  of  SP.  ,  W  agrees  with 
SP  in  two  more  incidents  than  does  C,  the  Gawain  encounter  and 
the  reunion  with  the  Besieged  Lady,  who  is  the  hero's  wife  in  SP 
and  W  but  not  in  C  and  Pd.  The  discussion  now  concerns  itself 
with  the  two  incidents  upon  which  SP  and  C  agree;  then  some 
comments  are  to  be  offered  on  portions  of  C  that  have  no  equivalents 
in5P. 

It  is  a  fact — but  one  whose  significance  is  not  wholly  clear — 
that  the  three  incidents  involving  the  Tent  Lady  and  her  Lord 
(the  visit  to  the  tent,  the  meeting  with  this  Lady  in  distress,  and 
the  downfall  of  the  Lord)  are  those  sections  of  the  whole  tale  upon 
which  the  four  versions  approach  nearest  to  a  complete  agreement. 
After  this  general  statement,  it  will  be  more  helpful  for  us  to  examine 
differences  between  SP  and  C  than  agreements.     In  the  matter  of 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED        97 

the  lapse  of  time  SP  is  definite  and  consistent;  the  hero  stays  with 
the  Besieged  Lady  a  year  lacking  a  few  days,  from  one  Christmas 
to  the  next  (1769-70,  1785,  1 801-5).  C  is  confused  and  self- 
contradictory;  when  Yones  reports  to  King  Arthur  the  death  of  the 
Red  Knight,  the  fool  predicts  that  Kex  will  be  wounded  by  Perceval 
within  forty  days  (2444  ff.),  and  .the  wounding  occurs  shortly  after 
the  second  meeting  with  the  Tent  Lady,  but  meantime  the  Lady 
has  had  her  clothing  worn  out  and  her  skin  tanned  by  cold  and  burnt 
by  heat  (4900  ff .) ;  Perceval  left  his  forest  home  when  the  meadows 
were  covered  with  spring  flowers,  but  slightly  over  forty  days  later 
he  tumbled  Kex  into  a  snow-bank.  Pd  is  silent  (but  cf.  p.  253, 11.  i 
and  12-13).  Wolfram'  perceived  Crestien's  inconsistency  and 
avoided  it  ;^  his  version  omits  the  forty  days  of  the  prophecy  of  the 
fool  (=Sir  Antanor),  says  that  the  Tent  Lady  (Jeschute)  "suffered 
more  than  a  whole  year"  (III,  706-7),  and  practically  asserts  that 
the  hero  dwelt  with  the  Besieged  Lady  for  months  (IV,  1 285-1306). 
Again  we  find  that  W  in  departing  from  C  approaches  SP;  and 
it  does  so  in  this  instance,  I  think,  because  Wolfram  had  before 
him,  in  addition  to  C,  a  version  which  laid  stress  upon  the  hero's 
marriage  and  his  consequent  tarrying  with  the  Besieged  Lady  for  a 
length  of  time,  probably  a  year  as  in  SP.  Further,  the  kinship 
between  SP  and  W  as  against  C  is  observable  here  in  several  details. 
Five  such  points  are:  (i)  in  SP  the  Tent  Lady  recounts  to  Perceval 
the  visit  to  the  tent,  but,  though  he  knows  he  was  the  visitor,  he 
keeps  silence  now;  in  W  she  recognizes  him  and  tells  him  he  caused 
her  trials:  in  C  neither  apparently  recognizes  the  other,  and  the 
Lord  is  the  one  who,  later  in  the  tale,  tells  of  the  visitor  at  the  tent. 
(2)  In  SP  the  hero  takes  his  helmet  off  and  hes  down  with  his  head 
on  the  Lady's  knee;  in  W  he  rides  along  with  his  helmet  off  because 
of  the  heat  (though  very  soon  afterward  he  is  to  find  the  ground 
snow-covered) :  in  C  there  is  no  hint  of  anything  similar.  (3)  In 
SP  and  W  Perceval  gives  his  version  of  the  visit  to  the  tent  after 
the  Lord  has  been  vanquished:  in  C,  after  the  Lord's  account  but 
before  the  battle,  Perceval  acknowledges  that  he  was  the  visitor. 
(4)  In  SP  and  W  the  Tent  Lord's  past  history  is  given,  and,  though 
the  two  versions  offer  different  accounts,  they  show  significant 

'  Cf.  WoKram's  perplexity,  VI,  42-52. 


98  SIR   PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

resemblances  (cf.  chapter  I,  p.  19,  supra^) :  in  C  there  is  no  hint  out 
of  which  these  accounts  could  have  grown.  (5)  In  SP  and  W  there 
is  an  elaborate  accounting  for  the  ring  the  hero  had  taken;  in  SP 
the  ring  is  not  returned,  in  W  the  ring  is  returned  but  the  brooch  is 
not;  in  C  there  is  no  hint  concerning  the  return  of  the  ring,  it  is 
of  no  more  consequence  than  the  pasties  Perceval  had  eaten. 

In  C  the  Snow  Scene  succeeds  the  overthrow  of  the  Tent  Lord 
(whom  Perceval  sends  with  messages  to  court): 

The  King  seeking  the  hero  and  the  hero  riding  at  random  arrived  at  almost 
the  same  place.  Perceval  was  riding  through  the  snow  that  had  fallen  in  the 
night  when  he  observed  three  drops  of  blood  fallen  from  a  bird  wounded  by  a 
falcon.  Blood  and  snow  reminded  him  of  the  white  and  red  in  the  face  of  his 
love.  He  rested  his  face  against  his  lance,  and  sank  into  a  deep  revery.  Pages 
of  the  court  brought  news  to  camp  of  the  stranger  transfixed  in  the  snow,  and 
Saigremors  went  out  to  fetch  him  before  the  King.  Perceval  roused  just 
enough  to  unhorse  Saigremors.  The  boastful  Kex  met  a  like  treatment,  and 
was  sore  wounded  by  his  fall.  Gawain  arrived,  courteously  secured  Perce- 
val's attention,  and  made  himself  known;  Perceval  rejoiced,  learned  of  Kex's 
wound,  and  announced  his  name.  The  two  knights  went  in  gladness  to  Arthur's 
camp.  (In  C  this  is  the  first  meeting  between  Perceval  and  Gawain.)  The 
King  and  his  court  returned  in  joy  to  Carlion;  and  next  day  the  Loathly 
Damsel  arrived  (C  5533-6022). 

The  Snow  Scene  is  analyzable  into  three  elements:  the  revery, 
the  wounding  of  Kex  as  the  fulfilment  of  a  prophecy,  and  the  juxta- 
position of  the  downfall  of  the  braggart  Kay  and  the  success  of  the 
courteous  Gawain.  The  revery  over  drops  of  blood  in  snow  is  a 
widespread  donnee,  and  is  much  older  than  Crestien.^  Indeed,  in  C 
it  appears  in  its  truncated  form;  in  what  is  probably  the  better 
(older)  type  of  the  incident,  the  remembered  lady  has  black  hair, 
and  there  is  some  object  present  to  recall  that  to  the  lover's  mind. 
Such  is  the  case  in  Pd,  and  we  have  been  assured  that  the  Besieged 
Lady  has  black  hair  and  brows  {Pd,  257);  but  C  says  the  Lady's 
hair  was  like  fine  gold.     The  revery  was  undoubtedly  inserted 

■  Orilus'  attempt  to  grasp  Parzival  in  the  battle,  and  the  humiliating  treatment  he  receives, 
of  being  tucked  under  Parzival's  arm  like  a  sheaf  of  grain  and  then  laid  across  a  log  (V,  1242  fi.), 
recall  the  Red  Knight's  threat  in  SP  (681-84)  to  cast  Perceval  into  the  pool  Uke  an  old  sack. 
No  such  language  or  deed  could  be  permitted  to  Ither  (Red  Knight),  who  had  become,  in  W, 
the  most  refined  of  knights. 

"  Cf.  Zimmer,  Keltische  Sludien,  II,  201-8;   Nutt,  Stud.,  137. 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED        99 

bodily  into  the  tale,  but  how  early  is  uncertain.  Its  absence  from 
SP  warrants  us  in  assuming,  until  adverse  evidence  is  available, 
that  the  insertion  occurred  after  the  spUtting  off  of  ^P's  ancestor 
from  the  parent  stock.  The  wounding  of  Kay  has  no  essential 
connection  with  the  revery.  Three  incidents  or  points  make  up  the 
Kex  story  as  O  has  it:  the  wounding  of  those  who  honor  Perceval 
at  court,  the  prophecy  of  harm  to  Kex  within  forty  days,  and  Per- 
ceval's overthrow  of  the  seneschal.  So  far  as  I  can  see  at  present, 
an  early  form  of  the  tale  probably  possessed  the  maiden  at  court 
who  was  to  laugh  only  when  the  best  knight  in  the  world  should 
come.  Her  presence  in  C  and  in  Red  Sh  (though  in  a  different 
place)  is  the  foundation  for  my  behef.  To  the  lady  with  the  pro- 
phetic laugh  C  (or  its  ancestor)  annexed  the  fool  with  his  forty-day 
prophecy  and  its  fulfilment.  And  it  was  this  prophecy  and  its 
fulfilment  plus  Crestien's  desire  to  have  his  tale  begin  in  the  spring' 
that  introduced  two  different  clocks  into  C — to  the  confusion  of 
Wolfram. 3  SP  apparently  descends  from  a  variant  in  which  the 
prophecy  of  the  coming  of  the  hero  is  known  at  court,  but  in  the 
form  of  "books"  {SP,  561-68),  and  not  in  connection  with  a 
maiden's  laugh.  The  juxtaposition  of  Kay's  boorishness  and 
Gawain's  courtesy  is  one  of  the  commonest  incidents  in  romance.'' 
No  such  scene  occurs  in  this  portion  of  SP,  though  the  encounter 
with  Gawain  offered  an  excellent  opportunity  for  it.  And  judging 
from  the  sentiment  concerning  Kay  expressed  in  SP,  297  ff.  (Per- 
ceval meets  the  Forest  Knights),  I  believe  that  if  the  author  of 
SP  had  ever  heard  of  the  Snow  Scene  of  C  he  could  never  have 
forgotten  it  or  refrained  from  using  it  in  his  poem.^ 

It  has  been  argued  that  the  battle  between  Perceval  and  Gawain, 

'  W  and  Pd  agree  with  C  in  part. 

'  Cf.  the  beginning  of  Erec  and  of  Yvain. 

'  In  Pd  there  is  no  mention  of  forty  days;  actually,  however,  about  six  weeks  inter\-ene 
(three  weeks  and  three  days  being  spent  with  the  Besieged  Lady).  Aside  from  the  mention  of 
snow  there  is  no  indication  of  the  season. 

'  CL  Erec;  Yvain;  Golagros  and  Gawain;  Avowing  of  Arthur;  Marriage  of  Gawain;  Gow- 
ther  and  Carle  of  Carlyle;  etc.,  etc.  An  interesting  parallel  appears  in  Mananaun  (74-7S). 
where  Kaytuch,  near  the  camp  of  Finn,  overthrows  the  surly  Conan  (who  comes  as  ambassador 
to  him),  but  goes  pleasantly  enough  with  the  courteous  Keeltje. 

'  Perceval  endangers  the  life  of  Kay  once  only  in  SP;  once  only  in  C,  in  the  Snow  Scene; 
twice  in  IT',  in  the  Snow  Scene  and  when  he  was  first  at  court,  Book  HI,  1123-26 


lOO  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

in  SP,  and  later  the  hero's  revery'  in  the  midst  of  the  battle  with 
Gollerothirame  were  drawn  from  C's  Snow  Scene.  As  for  the 
first,  there  is  no  such  battle  in  C;  its  real  source  will  be  pointed 
out  a  few  pages  below.  The  revery  in  SP  is  poorly  motivated  (the 
author  attempts  to  be  humorous),  and  its  cause  and  surroundings 
are  different  from  those  in  C.  Both  poems  have  a  revery  connected 
with  a  combat;  there  may  have  been  a  revery  in  their  (distant) 
common  source ;  it  is  hardly  possible  that  one  account  is  drawn  from 
the  other. 

The  last  of  the  stories  we  have  to  discuss  includes,  in  whole  or  in 
part,  seven  of  the  incidents  in  SP — the  two  meetings  with  the  Tent 
Lady,  the  battle  with  Gawain,  the  entertainment  of  King  Arthur, 
the  overthrow  of  the  Tent  Lord,  the  fight  with  the  Giant,  and  the 
rescue  of  Perceval's  mother.  The  parallels  that  bear  witness  to 
the  existence  of  such  a  story  are  drawn  from  two  versions  of  the 
Iwain  tale,  the  anonymous  Welsh,^  and  Crestien's  French.^  In 
the  sequence  of  incidents  SP  is  more  like  the  Welsh;  in  content 
it  presents  a  number  of  things  that  appear  in  the  French  but  not 
in  the  Welsh. 

Yvain  and  the  Welsh  Lady  of  the  Fountain  are  summarized,  but 
the  repetition  of  summaries  of  SP  is  obviated  by  the  table. 

Yvain.— A.  [Once  at  court  Calogrenant  told  how,  seven  years  before,  he 
had  passed  through  the  adventures  of  the  Hospitable  Host  and  the  Giant 
Herdsman,  and  had  been  overthrown  by  the  Knight  of  the  Rain-making  Foun- 
tain. King  Arthur  determined  to  attempt  the  same  adventures;  but  Yvain 
desired  them  for  himself,  and  so  he  stole  away  alone.  He  followed  the  desig- 
nated route,  mortally  wounded  the  Fountain  Knight,  and  pursued  him  into 
the  castle  of  the  Fountain  Lady  (Laudine).]  ][  Yvain  came  to  a  deserted 
place  within  the  walls  and  there  met  a  damsel  (Lunete),  the  chief  companion 
of  Laudine.  Lunete  presented  Yvain  a  Gygean  ring,  by  which  means  his  life 
was  preserved,  took  him  to  a  room,  and  gave  him  food  and  drink. 

'  See  Newell,  Leg.  of  the  Holy  Grail,  82. 

'  The  question  of  whether  or  not  the  Welsh  is  dependent  upon  Crestien's  poem  has  not  yet, 
so  far  as  I  know,  been  determined.  Its  answer  either  way  can  only  affect,  not  overthrow,  my 
results.    And  my  study  may  assist  in  determining  the  relationship. 

^  Mr.  Rhys  devotes  the  fourth  chapter  of  his  Arthurian  Legend  to  an  elaborate  comparison 
between  the  tales  of  Peredur  and  Owein.  He  makes  much  use,  however,  of  Pd{b)\  and  if  the 
conclusion  I  reached  in  chap,  iii,  supra,  be  well  founded,  the  use  he  has  made  of  Pd(h)  has 
rather  misled  him.    The  comparison  I  propose  to  institute  is  quite  different  from  his. 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED       lOI 

B.  ^  Lunete  persuaded  Laudine  it  was  wisest  to  marry  Yvain  that  he 
might  guard  her  Fountain  and  her  castle.  ^  Before  the  wedding  feast  was 
over,  Arthur  and  his  knights  arrived  at  the  Fountain.  Kay  secured  permission 
to  test  the  adventure,  and  he  was  promptly  overthrown  by  Yvain,  who  recog- 
nized his  opponent  but  was  himself  unrecognized.  When  Gawain  offered 
combat,  Yvain  made  himself  known  and  praised  him.  [The  great  battle  between 
Yvain  and  Gawain,  in  which  neither  knows  who  the  other  is,  comes  near  the 
end  of  the  poem,  where  it  occupies  over  i,8oo  lines.] 

C.  ^  Yvain  conducted  Arthur  and  his  attendants  to  the  castle  of  the 
Lady  whom  he  had  just  married,  and  there  entertained  them  with  a  great 
feast. 

D.  ^  At  Gawain's  importunity  Laudine  consented  that  Yvain  return 
with  the  King's  retinue  on  condition  that  he  would  remain  away  not  more  than 
a  year.  She  gave  her  husband  a  ring  that  would  prevent  wound  or  imprison- 
ment so  long  as  he  wore  it  and  remembered  her.  [The  Gygean  ring  is  of  no 
further  consequence.]  Yvain  remained  away  for  a  year  and  a  half.  ^  Then, 
deprived  of  his  ring  by  a  messenger,  he  became  insane,  was  restored  by  a  magic 
balm,  and  secured  his  attendant  Hon.  Tf  Wandering  one  day  in  sadness,  he 
came  to  the  place  of  the  Fountain  and  paused  to  bemoan  his  fate.  From 
"the  chapel"  an  imprisoned  woman  told  him  that  she  was  more  unhappy  than 
he.  He  learned  that  she  was  Lunete  and  had  been  imprisoned  by  the  Foun- 
tain Lady's  seneschal  on  a  charge  of  treason  (  =  her  friendship  for  the  recreant 
Yvain) ,  and  was  to  be  burnt  unless  a  knight  would  champion  her  cause.  She 
explained,  further,  that  she  knew  of  only  two  knights  who  would  be  willing  to 
defend  her,  Gawain  and  Yvain,  and  her  messenger  had  failed  to  reach  either  of 
them.     Yvain  promised  to  be  her  champion  on  the  morrow. 

E.  Below. 

F(a) .  ^  Now,  following  her  directions,  he  sought  a  castle  in  which  to  spend 
the  night.  Entering  the  castle,  he  was  made  sorrowfully  welcome,  and  was 
told  that  the  castle  was  being  besieged  by  a  Giant,  Harpin  de  la  Montaigne,' 
who  desired  the  castle  lord's  daughter. 

G.  T[  The  lord's  wife  was  Gawain's  sister,  and  when  the  daughter  pleaded 
with  Yvain  in  the  name  of  Gawain,  her  uncle,  he  consented  to  fight  the  Giant. 
[His  previous  engagement  was  the  cause  of  his  hesitancy.] 

¥(b).     ^  He  slew  the  Giant,  and  departed. 

E.  ^  He  reached  the  Fountain  to  find  Lunete's  enemies  preparing  to 
burn  her.  He  was  forced  to  do  battle  against  the  seneschal  and  his  two 
brothers  all  at  once,  but,  aided  by  his  lion,  he  vanquished  the  three,  and  burned 
them  in  the  fire  prepared  for  Lunete. 

B{b).  Tl  Yvain  had  many  other  adventures.  Near  the  end  of  the  poem 
the  battle  between  Yvain  and  Gawain  is  elaborately  prepared  for.  t  The 
two  fought,  neither  knowing  who  his  opponent  was,  in  the  presence  of  Arthur 

'  Cf.  Ogier  le  Danois,  9815:   "Manda  Harpin  ki  forme  ot  de  gaiant." 


t 


I02  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

and  his  court  until  they  recognized  each  other.    Then  each  wished  to  acknowl- 
edge the  other  the  victor.     Tf  Later  Yvain  was  reunited  with  his  wife. 

LF.  %  The  Welsh  Lady  oj  the  Fountain. — A.  [Kynon  (instead  of  Calo- 
grenant)  told  of  his  adventures.  Owain  (  =  Iwain)  decided  he  would  test  them. 
He  met  the  Hospitable  Host,  passed  the  Giant  Herdsman,  mortally  wounded 
the  Black  Knight,  the  defender  of  the  Fountain,  and  followed  him  inside  the 
castle  walls.]  If  His  life  was  saved  here  by  Luned,  who  gave  him  a  Gygean 
ring,  and  then  led  him  to  a  chamber  where  she  tended  him  and  gave  him  the 
richest  of  food  and  drink. 

B.  ^  Luned  next  persuaded  the  Countess  of  the  Fountain  that  it  was 
wisest  for  her  to  marry  Owain.  ^  Three  years  later  Arthur  became  uneasy 
at  the  absence  of  Owain,  and,  persuaded  by  Gwalchmai  (  =  Gawain),  went  with 
his  household  to  seek  him.  When  the  Fountain  was  reached,  Kay  begged 
permission  to  test  the  adventure,  and  was  promptly  overthrown  by  the  defender 
(now  Owain).  Others  of  the  household  were  overthrown  by  Owain,  who  knew 
them  but  was  not  recognized  by  them.  At  length  Gwalchmai,  so  clad  as  to 
be  unrecognized  by  Owain,  offered  battle,  and  the  contest  was  bitter  and  long, 
lasting  through  three  days  until  a  blow  revealed  Gwalchmai's  face;  then  the 
two  friends  embraced. 

C.  If  Owain  conducted  the  entire  party  to  the  castle  of  his  wife,  the 
Countess,  and  feasted  them  royally. 

D.  Tf  After  three  months  of  feasting,  Owain  secured  his  wife's  permission 
to  return  with  the  King  to  court  and  to  deeds  of  chivalry,  to  be  absent  three 
months.  [No  statement  occurs  here  concerning  the  second  ring.]  If  Forget- 
ful, he  stayed  away  three  years;  whereupon  a  messenger  from  the  Countess 
deprived  him  of  his  (hitherto  unmentioned)  ring.  He  went  mad  from  grief, 
wandered  in  desert  places,  after  a  time  was  cured  by  a  magic  balm,  and  secured 
a  lion  for  his  page.  If  One  evening  he  came  to  a  meadow,  and  while  eating 
supper  he  heard  someone  sigh  thrice  in  distress.  The  sighs  came  from  Luned, 
imprisoned  in  a  vault  and  being  punished  for  her  loyalty  to  Owain.  Two 
pages  of  the  Countess'  chamber  had  imprisoned  her  and  were  going  to  put  her 
to  death  on  the  morrow  unless  Owain  should  return  to  fight  them  both  in  her 
behalf.     Owain  (unrecognized  by  her)  promised  to  aid  her  next  day. 

F.  ^  At  her  directions  he  sought  a  castle  in  which  to  spend  the  night. 
He  entered  the  castle  and  was  welcomed,  though  sadly,  being  told  that  a  Giant 
was  going  to  reinforce  his  demand  for  the  castle  lord's  daughter  by  attacking 
the  castle  next  morning.  Owain  next  day  slew  the  Giant  (by  the  help  of  the 
lion),  saved  the  castle  lord's  daughter,  and  restored  to  him  his  two  sons. 

E.  \  Owain  then  returned  to  the  meadow  where  Luned  was  prisoner, 
and  fought  with  the  two  young  men  till,  with  the  aid  of  his  lion,  he  slew  them; 
thus  he  restored  Luned  to  freedom,  happiness,  and  honor.  %  Owain  returned 
with  Luned  to  the  castle  of  the  Countess;  thence  he  went  to  Arthur's  court, 
taking  his  wife  with  him 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED       I03 

The  sequence  of  incidents  is : 

SP—A    B  C    D     E     F         G 

LF—A    B  C    D  F  E 

Yv—A     B(a)     C    D  F(a)     G  F(b)     E    B(b) 

The  Welsh  does  not  make  the  lady  saved  from  the  Giant  a 
kinswoman  of  Gawain  (incident  G),  and  places  the  punishment  of 
the  Damsel's  persecutors  (E)  after  the  battle  with  the  Giant  (F) . 
SP  places  the  explanation  that  the  lady  persecuted  by  the  Giant 
was  a  relative  of  Gawain  (G)  after  the  fight  with  the  Giant  (F). 
Yv  splits  the  battle  with  Gawain  (B[a]  and  B[b]),  puts  the  explana- 
tion concerning  Gawain's  kinswoman  (G)  in  the  midst  of  the 
account  of  the  fight  with  the  Giant  (F[a]  and  F[b]),  and  places  the 
punishment  of  the  persecutors  (E)  after  the  fight  with  the  Giant  (F) . 

The  following  table  indicates  that  the  agreements  extend  to  a 
considerable  degree  of  minuteness: 

A.  The  Helpful  Damsel 

The  hero  in  the  Damsel's  apartment SP    LF  Yv        C    W 

Is  given  food  and  drink SP    LF  Yv        C    W 

And  a  magic  ring SP    LF  Yv 

His  life  is  in  danger  if   he   should   be   dis- 
covered    LF  Yv        C    W 

B.  The  Battle  with  Gawain 

The  hero  has  just  married SP  Yv 

Arthur    and    knights    approach^    the    wife's 

castle SP  LF  Yv 

The  hero  issues  against  them SP  LF  Yv 

And  overthrows  Kay LF  Yv 

He  and  Gawain  fight  a  battle SP  LF  Yv^  W 

Neither  recognizing  the  other SP  LF  Yv  W 

Accident  brings  recognition SP  LF  Yv  W 

And  joyful  embrace SP  LF  Yv  W 

C.  The  King  Entertained 

The  hero  leads  the  royal  party  to  the  castle  of 

his  wife SP     LF     Yv 

And  all  are  sumptuously  feasted SP    LF     Yv 

'  In  Yv  Arthur  is  seeking  the  Wonderful  Fountain;  in  SP  and  LF  he  is  seeking  the  hero. 
'  The  combat  is  placed  near  the  end  of  the  poem. 

/ 


c 

w 

c 

w 

c 

w 

c 

w 

104  SIR  PERCEVAL  OF  GALLES 

D.  The  Damsel  Persecuted 

A  year,  or  more,  after  his  marriage SP  LF  Yv  W 

The  hero  is  back  near  the  place  where  he  first 

met  the  Damsel SP  LF  Yv 

He  hears  a  cry  of  distress SP  LF  Yv 

Finds  the  Damsel  a  prisoner SP  LF  Yv 

Persecuted  for  her  connection  with  him SP  LF  Yv        C     W 

He  befriends  her SP  LF  Yv 

Hears  her  story SP  LF  Yv 

And  promises  his  aid LF  Yv 

E.  The  Persecutor  Punished 

1 .  The  Tent  Lord  approaches SP 

He  and  Perceval  encounter SP 

He  is  overthrown SP 

And  forced  to  restore  the  Damsel  to  his  favor      SP 

2.  Iwain  approaches  the  place  of  combat LF     Yv 

A  fire  is  ready  to  burn  the  Damsel LF     Yv 

Iwain  is  ready  for  battle LF     Yv 

He  overthrows  the  persecutors LF     Yv 

And  burns  them  in  the  fire  intended  for  the 

Damsel LF     Yv 

F.  The  Fight  with  the  Giant 

The  hero  is  sent  by  the  persecutor SP 

by  the  Damsel LF     Yv 

To  a  castle  owned  by  a  Giant SP 

attacked  by  a  Giant LF     Yv 

Who  seeks  to  win  a  lady SP    LF     Yv 

The  Giant's  garments  and  weapons  are  con- 
ventional       SP  Yv 

The  Giant  is  slain SP    LF     Yv 

G.  The  Rescue  of  Gawain's  Kinswoman 

The  lord  of  the  castle LF     Yv 

Or  the  porter SP 

explains  what  the  Giant  seeks SP    LF     Yv 

The  lady  is  Gawain's  niece Yv 

Gawain's  sister  (or  aunt) SP 


Perceval's  mother  is  cured  of  insanity SP 

Iwain  is  cured  of  insanity LF     Yv 

By  a  magic  balm  or  potion SP    LF     Yv 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED       105 

The  Tent  Lord's  suspicion  is  one  of  the  chief  threads  binding 
together  the  hero's  adventure  at  the  Tent  and  the  events  subsequent 
to  the  relief  of  the  Besieged  Lady.  In  recounting  the  happenings  at 
the  Tent,  SP  makes  no  mention  of  the  husband;  C,  W,  and  Pd 
detail  his  return,  rage,  and  determination  to  punish  his  wife.  There 
was,  of  course,  no  ground  for  his  jealous  suspicion;  if,  however,  we 
might  for  a  moment  grant  the  possibility  that  he  had  heard  the 
events  of  a  folk-tale  now  fairly  common,  we  could  pardon  in  him  at 
least  a  feeling  of  uneasiness.  I  shall,  at  a  venture,  subjoin  sum- 
maries of  these  tales;  then  I  shall  point  out  some  striking  similari- 
ties, and  also  some  difl&culties  in  the  way  of  considering  them  as 
connected  with  the  source  of  the  story  of  the  Falsely  Accused  Lady 
of  the  Perceval  tale. 

Coldfeet. — After  varied  adventures,  Coldfeet  came  to  an  old  man  who  told 
him  that  there  was  only  one  day  in  the  year  in  which  to  accomplish  his  task, 
for  the  Queen  and  her  guardians  slept  for  just  a  single  day;  he  must  reach  the 
Queen  before  noon,  and  leave  the  island  before  nightfall;  and  "The  sword  of 
light  will  be  hanging  at  the  head  of  her  bed,  the  loaf  [of  bread]  and  the  bottle 
of  water  on  the  table  near  by."  Coldfeet  came  to  Lonesome  Island.  Before 
noon  he  was  in  the  chamber  of  the  Queen,  and  she  lay  asleep.  "He  found  every 
thing  there  as  the  old  man  had  told  him.  Seizing  the  sword  of  light  quickly 
and  taking  the  bottle  and  the  loaf,  he  went  toward  the  door;  but  there  he  halted, 
turned  back,  stopped  a  while  with  the  queen.  It  was  very  near  he  was  then 
to  forgetting  himself;  but  he  sprang  up,  took  one  of  the  queen's  garters,  and 
away  with  him." 

A  Hag  had  sent  Coldfeet  to  the  Island  to  procure  these  wondrous  articles. 
Returning  as  he  came,  he  reached  the  Hag's  castle,  and  she  demanded  sword, 

bottle,  and  loaf "With  that  Coldfeet  drew  the  sword  of  light,  and  sent 

her  head  spinning  through  the  sky  in  the  way  that  'tis  not  known  in  what  part 
of  the  world  it  feU  or  did  it  faU  in  any  place.  He  burned  her  body  then,  scattered 
the  ashes,  and  went  his  way  further." 

"In  three  quarters  of  a  year  the  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island  had  a  son." 
When  he  was  two  years  old,  she  set  off  to  find  his  father.  Following  the  traces 
of  the  magic  loaf,  bottle,  and  sword  she  came  to  Coldfeet,  and  heard  his  story. 
" '  Have  you  the  golden  garter  ? '  [she  asked].  '  Here  it  is,'  said  the  young  man. 
'What  is  your  name?'  asked  the  queen.  'Coldfeet,'  said  the  stranger.  'You 
are  the  man,'  said  the  queen.  'Long  ago  it  was  prophesied  that  a  hero  named 
Coldfeet  would  come  to  Lonesome  Island  without  my  request  or  assistance, 
and  that  our  son  would  cover  the  world  with  his  power.  Come  with  me  now 
to  Lonesome  Island.'" 


Io6  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

D^yerree. — Cart  and  his  two  brothers  set  oflf  to  the  well  of  D'yerree-in- 
Dowan  [  =  end  of  the  world]  to  fetch  a  bottle  of  water  from  the  well,  which  was 
a  "weU  of  cure."  An  old  man  assisted  Cart  to  reach  the  island  of  the  Well, 
and  informed  him  that  the  Queen  of  the  island  and  her  attendants  and  her 
guards  likewise  were  asleep,  and  would  not  waken  for  a  year  and  a  day.  He 
gave  Cart  two  bottles  to  be  filled  from  the  well.  Cart  reached  the  well,  and 
filled  his  bottles.  Then  he  saw  a  castle  all  lighted.  He  drew  near,  and  looked 
in  through  a  window;  he  saw  a  table,  and  on  it  a  loaf  of  bread,  a  knife,  a  bottle 
and  a  glass.  He  entered,  and  found  that  the  loaf  and  the  contents  of  the 
bottle  never  grew  less;  so  he  took  them  with  him.  He  entered  a  chamber,  and 
saw  the  Queen  with  her  eleven  waiting-maids  asleep,  and  a  sword  of  light  hung 
over  the  Queen's  head.     He  kissed  the  Queen  and  her  eleven  maids,  and  none 

awoke.     With  sword,  bottles,  and  loaf,  he  returned  to  the  old  man Of 

course.  Cart  returned  to  his  brothers;  they  made  him  drunk,  stole  his  bottles 
of  water,  and  pretended  to  the  King  that  they  were  the  heroes  and  Cart  a 

fool A  year  later  the  Queen  awoke,  and  her  eleven  maids  likewise, 

and  each  of  the  twelve  found  a  young  son  in  bed  beside  her.  The  Queen 
set  off  to  find  out  who  was  the  father  of  her  son.  She  followed  his  track, 
recovering  the  sword  of  light,  the  never-failing  bottle,  and  the  loaf  of  bread 
where  he  had  successively  left  them,  arrived  at  the  King's  castle,  tested  the 
brothers  Art  and  Nart,  proving  them  false  claimants,  and  restored  Cart  to 
high  honor.  Then  taking  him  as  her  husband,  she  returned  to  the  WeU  of 
D'yerree-in-Dowan. 

Lonesome  Island. — The  King  of  Erin  was  led  into  following  a  pig  through 
the  sea  (swimming)  to  an  island.  Landing,  he  went  to  a  fine  castle,  which  had 
a  low  door  with  a  broad  threshold  all  covered  with  sharp-edged  razors,  and  a 
low  lintel  of  long-pointed  needles.  With  a  jump,  he  entered.  "When  inside 
he  saw  a  great  fire  on  a  broad  hearth,  and  said  to  himself,  'I  sit  down  here, 
dry  my  clothes,  and  warm  my  body  at  this  fire.'  A  table  came  before  him  with 
every  sort  of  food  and  drink,  without  his  seeing  anyone  bring  it.  He  ate  and 
drank.  When  he  grew  tired,  he  looked  behind  him,  and  if  he  did  he  saw  a 
fine  room,  and  in  it  a  bed  covered  with  gold.  He  went  to  bed  and  slept.  In 
the  night  he  waked,  and  felt  the  presence  of  a  woman  in  the  room.  He  reached 
out  his  hand  towards  her  and  spoke,  but  got  no  answer;  she  was  silent."  In 
the  morning  he  left  the  castle,  only  to  find  himself  in  a  beautiful  garden  whence 
he  could  not  escape.  The  same  things  happened  the  second  night  and  morning. 
He  jumped  into  the  castle  the  third  night.  The  same  events  occurred.  '  He 
waked  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  " '  Well,'  said  he,  'it  is  a  wonderful  thing  for 
me  to  pass  three  nights  in  a  room  with  a  woman,  and  not  see  her  nor  know  who 
she  is!'  'You  won't  have  to  say  that  again.  King  of  Erin,'  answered  a  voice. 
And  that  moment  the  room  was  filled  with  a  bright  light,  and  the  King  looked 
upon  the  finest  woman  he  had  ever  seen.  'WeU,  King  of  Erin,  you  are  on 
Lonesome  Island.  I  am  the  black  pig  that  enticed  you  over  the  land  and 
through  the  sea  to  this  place,  and  I  am  queen  of  Lonesome  Island.     My  two 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED       107 

sisters  and  I  are  under  a  Druidic  spell,  and  we  cannot  escape  from  this  spell 
till  your  son  and  mine  shall  free  us.'"  ....  Years  later  the  King's  son  was 
put  under  spells.  He  had  come  to  Erin,  and  was  hated  by  the  King's  wife 
(his  step-mother?),  who  put  him  under  spells  to  fetch  her  "three  bottles  of 
water  from  Tubber  Tintye,  the  flaming  well."  He  started  off,  accompanied 
by  his  two  half-brothers,  the  queen's  sons.  He  left  the  brothers,  one  after  the 
other, behind  him,  and  went  on;  he  crossed  successfully  a  river  of  fire,  and  passed 
a  belt  of  poisonous  trees,  and  came  to  a  castle.  [About  this  time  he  first 
learned  who  his  father  was,  though  he  had  often  wondered  about  the  matter.] 
As  his  horse  shot  past  an  open  window  of  the  castle,  the  prince  sprang  in. 
The  whole  place  was  filled  with  giants,  long  slippery  eels,  bears,  and  beasts 
of  every  kind,  sleeping  their  period  of  seven  years'  sleep.  The  prince 
passed  to  a  stairway,  entered  a  chamber,  and  found  there  a  beautiful 
woman  asleep;  he  went  on  by,  and  passed  through  eleven  more  chambers, 
and  each  sleeping  woman  was  more  beautiful  than  the  last.  He  made  no 
stop  till  he  reached  the  thirteenth  chamber.  When  he  opened  the  door  to 
this  chamber,  the  flash  of  gold  took  his  sight  away;  he  paused  till  he  could  see 
again.  Here  was  a  golden  couch  on  golden  wheels,  and  the  couch  went  round 
and  round  continually.  On  the  couch  lay  the  Queen  of  Tubber  Tintye,  more 
beautiful  than  any  of  her  maidens.  At  the  foot  of  the  couch  was  Tubber  Tintye 
itself — the  well  of  fire;  and  it  turned  with  the  couch.  With  a  spring,  the 
prince  landed  in  the  bed,  and  he  stayed  there  six  days  and  six  nights.  On  the 
seventh  day  he  came  down,  and  fiUed  his  three  bottles  with  water  from  the 
flaming  well .  In  the  golden  chamber  was  a  table  of  gold,  and  on  the  table  a 
leg  of  mutton  with  a  loaf  of  bread;  and  if  all  the  men  of  Erin  were  to  eat  for  a 
twelvemonth  from  the  table,  the  mutton  and  bread  would  be  the  same  as  at 
first.  The  prince  ate,  and  then  took  the  bottles  of  water  with  him  [but  not  the 
mutton  and  bread];  he  wrote  a  note  explaining  his  visit,  and  put  it  under  the 
Queen's  pillow;  then  he  left 

Of  course,  the  two  cowardly  half-brothers  claimed  to  be  the  heroes. 

When  the  Queen  of  Tubber  Tintye  opened  her  eyes,  she  found  a  six-year-old 
boy  in  bed  beside  her,  found  the  letter,  and  set  off  to  discover  her  visitor.  She 
came  to  Erin,  by  a  test  brought  about  the  destruction  of  the  two  half-brothers, 
forced  the  King  to  send  for  his  son,  the  hero,  and  by  the  device  of  a  magic 
girdle  forced  the  King's  wife  to  acknowledge  that  her  sons  had  been  bastards, 
caused  the  King  to  burn  his  false  wife  and  marry  the  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island, 
and  then  she  and  the  prince  were  married. 

Golden  Mines. — After  fighting  for  three  days.  Jack  slew  a  dragon.  Each 
day  Jack  had  been  wounded,  and  each  night  he  had  been  cured  by  a  friendly  old 
man,  who  "took  down  a  httle  bottle  of  ointment,  and  rubbed  it  over  Jack,  and 
no  sooner  did  he  rub  it  over  him  than  Jack's  wounds  were  all  healed  as  well  as 
ever  again."  ....  Jack  came  to  a  castle,  entered,  and  wandered  till  he  came 
to  the  sixth  room,  where  he  found  the  Queen  asleep.  He  kissed  her,  took  a 
jeweled  garter,  that  was  lying  by  the  queen's  bedside,  a  loaf  of  bread  that  could 


Io8  SIR   PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

never  be  eaten  out,  a  bottle  of  wine  that  could  never  be  drunk  out,  and  a  purse 
that  could  never  be  emptied.  The  purse,  wine,  and  bread  were  left  at  certain 
stages  upon  his  return  journey.  Later  they  served  the  Queen  as  clues  upon  her 
search.  She  traveled  over  Jack's  route,  and  finally  found  him,  through  all 
of  his  disguises,  because  of  the  garter. 

Kg  of  Eng. — .  .  .  .  Jack,  the  youngest  of  the  King's  three  sons,  came  to  a 
castle  guarded  by  giants,  lions,  and  fiery  serpents,  but  all  were  asleep  for  the 
space  of  one  hour.  Jack  entered  the  castle.  "Turning  to  the  right,  upstairs 
he  runs,  enters  into  a  very  grand  bed-room,  and  sees  a  very  beautiful  Princess 
lying  full  stretch  on  a  gold  bedstead,  fast  asleep.  He  gazes  on  her  beautiful 
form  with  admiration,  and  he  takes  her  garter  off,  and  buckles  it  on  his  own  leg, 
and  he  buckles  his  on  hers;  he  also  takes  her  gold  watch,  and  pocket-hand- 
kerchief, and  exchanges  his  for  hers;  after  that  he  ventures  to  give  her  a  kiss, 
when  she  nearly  opened  her  eyes.  Seeing  the  time  short,  he  runs  down 
stairs."  ....  Of  course,  the  Princess  sought  him,  and  a  year  later  found  him; 
and  they  were  married. 

Brown  Bear. — The  King  of  Erin  had  three  sons.  The  King  lost  the  sight  of 
his  eyes  and  the  strength  of  his  feet.  His  three  sons  set  of?  to  bring  three  bottles 
of  the  water  of  the  Green  Isle.  John,  the  foolish  youngest,  was  ill-treated  by  his 
brothers.  But  only  John,  helped  by  a  Brown  Bear,  three  giants,  and  an  eagle, 
reached  the  Isle.  '"Now,  John,'  says  she  [the  eagle],  'be  quick,  and  fill  thy 
three  bottles;  remember  that  the  black  dogs  are  away  just  now.'"  He  filled 
his  bottles  out  of  the  well;  and  he  saw  a  little  house.  He  entered.  In  the 
first  chamber  he  saw  a  full  bottle  of  whiskey;  he  drank  some,  and  the  bottle 
was  still  full.  He  took  the  bottle.  In  another  chamber  he  found  a  never- 
failing  loaf,  which  he  took;  in  another,  a  cheese.  "Then  he  went  to  another 
chamber,  and  he  saw  laid  there  the  very  prettiest  little  jewel  of  a  woman  he 
ever  saw.  'It  were  a  great  pity  not  to  kiss  thy  lips,  my  love,'  says  John." 
Then  on  the  eagle's  back  he  left  the  Isle.  He  returned  by  way  of  the  giants' 
houses,  where  he  left  whiskey-bottle,  loaf,  and  cheese,  on  condition  that  they 
should  be  given  to  a  woman  if  she  called  for  them.     Of  course,  his  brothers 

were  treacherous,  and  John  was  defrauded The  Lady  of  the  Green 

Isle  "became  pale  and  heavy;  and  at  the  end  of  three  quarters,  she  had  a 
fine  lad  son."  She  set  off  to  seek  his  father,  and  by  following  the  route  of  the 
bottle,  loaf,  and  cheese,  and  by  using  magic,  she  discovered  John,  restored  him 
to  honor,  and  she  and  John  were  married.    End.    (Campbell,  Tales,  I,  168-80.) 

The  folk-tales  furnish  a  raison  d'etre  for  several  rather  arbitrary, 
if  not  unreasonable,  matters  in  the  Tent  adventure  (cf.  chapter  II, 
supra).  First,  there  is  the  Lady's  ill-timed  nap;  in  Pd  she  was 
awake  throughout,  in  C  and  W  asleep  part  of  the  time  and  awake 
the  rest,  but  in  SP  asleep  throughout.  The  continuous  sleep  was  a 
necessity  in  the  hero's  visit  in  the  folk-tales.     In  SP  there  were  no 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED       IO9 

attendant  maidens;  in  some  (not  all)  of  the  folk-tales  there  were, 
and  they  were  asleep  too;  in  C  they  were  out  of  sight  gathering 
flowers.  Second,  that  the  bread,  meat,  and  wine  are  important 
in  the  Tent  adventure  is  apparent,  but  why  they  are,  is  not. 
In  the  folk-tales  these  articles  were  never-failing  (the  never-failing 
loaf,  meat,  and  bottle  were  by  no  means  confined  to  this  group  of 
tales).  If  in  the  source  of  the  Perceval  tale  they  started  off  as 
never-faiHng,  but  somewhere  lost  their  magic  power,  their  impor- 
tance could  linger  on.  And  the  equable  division  in  SP  could,  indeed, 
be  a  remnant  of  the  never-failing  quality:  he  ate  his  fill,  and  left 
just  as  much  as  there  was  before  he  took  any  degenerating  into 
he  ate  his  fill,  and  left  just  as  much  as  he  took  away.  Third,  the 
token  the  hero  carries  away  is  a  garter  in  the  folk-tales,  a  ring 
in  the  Perceval  tale.  The  garter  was,  in  the  circumstances, 
probably  the  more  natural  trophy;  the  ring  is  the  garter's  substi- 
tute, rather  than  equivalent,  and  its  origin  will  be  pointed  out 
later.  Perhaps  W^s  "fiirspan"  is  the  real  descendant  of  the  garter. 
Fourth,  the  story  of  the  Tent  Lady  is  responsible  for  the  introduction 
into  the  Perceval  tale  of  the  one-year  period  of  time,  though  as  it 
now  stands  this  story  has  no  especial  reason  for  covering  just  a 
year.  But  if  the  Tent  adventure  had  an  ancestor  like,  say,  Uyerree 
or  Brown  Bear,  the  specification  of  the  time  as  one  year  is  not  hard 
to  account  for.  Fifth,  if,  again,  the  Tent  adventure  had  such  an 
ancestor,  the  "hall"  (=  castle)  of  SP  is  nearer  to  the  source  form 
than  the  Tent  of  the  other  versions. 

There  are  several  difficulties  in  the  way  of  considering  the  Tent 
adventure  and  the  folk-tales  akin.  First,  the  similarities  are  con- 
fined to  the  Tent  adventure  (the  first  meeting  with  the  Tent  Lady), 
and,  as  the  argument  given  in  part  above  and  in  part  below  makes 
clear,  the  Tent  adventure  is  closely  bound  to  incidents  that  come 
later.  Second,  the  Queen  in  the  folk-tales  married  her  visitor; 
but  the  Tent  Lady  could  not  marry  Perceval;  another  damsel 
had  already  been  set  apart  for  him.  Whence  the  Tent  Lord  could 
arise  is  a  query.  Third,  the  similarities  of  the  folk-tales  are  mainly 
with  the  Perceval,  not  with  the  Iwain,  tale;  yet  the  two  latter  tales 
drew  upon  a  common  source  for  their  story  of  the  Suspected  Lady. 

The  resemblances  are  interesting,  but  the  discussion  need  not 


no  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

go  farther  until  we  have  more  grounds  for  suspecting  a  kinship 
between  the  folk-tales  and  the  Tent  adventure. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  Tent  Lord's  suspicion  (the  jealousy  of 
Laudine's  seneschal  is  its  equivalent  in  the  Iwain  tale)  as  one  of 
the  main  threads  of  connection  in  the  Suspected  Lady's  story. 

The  second  link  to  connect  the  Tent  adventure  with  subsequent 
events  is  the  Tent  Lady's  ring.  In  SP,  Yv,  and  LF  there  are  two 
rings.  Lunete's  ring  of  darkness,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  lies  outside 
of  our  comparison.  The  mother's  ring  in  SP  is  to  be  compared  with 
a  ring  of  recognition  in  Conall  and  LD.  Yvain's  second  ring,  the 
one  of  magic  power,  received  from  Laudine,  is  the  equivalent  of 
the  one  Perceval  takes  from  the  Tent  Lady,  who  asserts  that  its 
wearer  can  be  neither  wounded  nor  slain  {SP,  1857-64).  Comment 
on  the  connection  with  the  ''stone  of  victory"  in  Red  Sh  will  be 
made  in  the  Conclusion. 

The  giant  fight  of  SP  I  thought,  for  a  time  earlier  in  my  study, 
had  an  analogue  in  a  giant  combat  in  Wauchier's  Continuation, 
(23880  ff.,  same  in  Wisse  and  Colin's  German  rendering).  But 
the  similarities  are  not  very  specific.  The  trouble  with  any  giant's 
single  combat  is  that  it  is  very  much  like  every  other  one;  all 
have  been  conventionalized.  The  giant  is  fond  of  the  flesh  of 
beautiful  damsels;  he  appears  for  battle,  clad  usually  in  skins  and 
armed  with  a  fearsome  club ;^   the  fight  is  furious;   the  hero  maims 

'  In  the  odd  description  of  the  club  in  SP  I  hoped  for  a  clue,  but  little  has  come  of  it.  The 
following  account  contains,  besides  the  embeUished  club,  a  caldron  of  cure  that  may  be  compared 
with  the  magic  draft  and  the  bath  given  to  Perceval's  mother. 

Thief. — King  Conal  overcame  and  bound  the  Thief,  who  saved  his  Ufe  by  telling  a  story 
of  how  he  had  been  nearer  death  than  he  was  at  this  time  [a  common  device  of  plot-structure 
in  these  tales]:  ....  "The  big  giant  waited  and  waited,  grew  angry,  took  his  great  iron  club 

with  nine  lumps  and  nine  hooks  on  it He  ran  toward  me,  raised  the  club,  and  brought  it 

down  with  what  strength  there  was  in  him.  I  stepped  aside  quickly;  the  club  sank  in  the  earth 
to  the  depth  of  a  common  man's  knee.  While  the  giant  was  drawing  the  club  with  both  hands, 
I  stabbed  him  three  times  in  the  stomach,  and  sprang  away  to  some  distance.  He  ran  forward  a 
second  time,  and  came  near  hitting  me;  again  the  club  sank  in  the  ground,  and  I  stabbed  him 
four  times,  for  he  was  weaker  from  blood  loss,  and  was  a  longer  time  freeing  the  club.  The 
third  time  the  club  grazed  me,  and  tore  my  whole  side  with  a  sharp  iron  hook.  The  giant 
fell  to  his  knees,  but  could  neither  rise  nor  make  a  cast  of  the  club  at  me;  soon  he  was  on  his 
elbow,  gnashing  his  teeth  and  raging.  I  was  growing  weaker,  and  knew  that  I  was  lost  imless 
someone  assisted  me.  The  young  woman  [giant's  captive]  had  come  down,  and  was  present  at 
the  struggle.  'Run  now,'  said  I  to  her,  'for  the  giant's  sword,  and  take  the  head  off  him.' 
She  ran  quickly,  brought  the  sword,  and  as  brave  as  a  man  took  the  head  off  the  giant.  'Death 
is  not  far  from  me  now,'  said  I.     'I  will  carry  you  quickly  to  the  giant's  caldron  of  cure,  and 


THE   RESCUE   OF   THE   LADY   FALSELY  ACCUSED  III 

the  giant,  topples  him  over,  and  dispatches  him.  Such  accounts  are 
common,  and  examples  need  not  be  enumerated.  My  reason  for 
thinking  the  Perceval  and  the  Iwain  giant  combats  related  is — 
aside  from  their  type  similarity  and  their  occurrence  in  sequences 
of  events  otherwise  similar — that  in  each  case  the  hero  relieves  a 
distressed  kinswoman  of  Gawain  by  slaying  the  monster.  Mr. 
Nutt  reached  the  decision  that  the  giant  battle  was  a  part  of  the 
primitive  form  of  the  Perceval  tale;  and  Mr.  Brown  concluded  that 
the  giant  battle  was,  likewise,  an  event  in  the  primitive  Iwain  tale. 
The  topic  is  reverted  to  in  the  Conclusion. 

In  the  account  of  the  mother,  SP  weaves  in  two  matters  that 
show  resemblances  to  the  Iwain  tale.  The  first,  her  kinship  to 
Gawain  {SP,  1441,  1457),  has  just  been  referred  to.  The  other 
is  her  dementia.  To  expand  this:  (a)  In  SP  the  mother  sees  a 
ring  she  had  given  her  son,  and  thinking  he  must  be  dead,  she 
becomes  insane:  Iwain  has  taken  from  him  a  ring  his  love  had  given 
him,  and  thinking  she  is  now  lost  to  him,  goes  insane,  {b)  Both 
wander  in  the  woods  and  live  like  wild  animals.^  (c)  The  mother 
is  cured  by  a  drink  that  had  been  brewed  by  the  giant,  hence  it  is, 
of  course,  magical;  then  she  is  given  a  bath:  Yvain  is  cured 
through  the  kindness  of  the  Lady  of  Noroison,  who  has  him  anointed 
with  a  balm  (magical,  of  course)  given  her  by  Morgue  the  Wise 
(2946-47). 

The  similarities  shown  by  SP,  Yv,  and  LF  are  too  numerous, 
too  specific,  too  significant  to  be  explained  as  due  to  chance  or  as 
romance  commonplaces:    in  all  three  versions  a  damsel,  not  the 

give  you  life,'  said  the  young  woman.  With  that,  she  raised  me  on  her  back,  and  hurried  out 
of  the  cellar.  When  she  had  me  on  the  edge  of  the  caldron,  the  death  faint  was  on  me,  I  was 
dying;  but  I  was  not  long  in  the  pot  when  I  revived,  and  soon  was  as  well  as  ever."  [The  hero 
gave  some  of  the  giant's  treasure  to  the  woman,  and  they  parted.] — J.  Curtin,  "Black  Thief 
and  King  Conal's  Horses,"  Hero  Tales,  93-113.  esp.  pp.  iio-ii. 

'  Madness  and  magic  balm  both  occur  in  the  tale  of  Blaiman,  though  not  together. 

Blaiman. — Blaiman's  uncles  were  left  with  his  wife  on  a  ship  and  they  sailed  away  with 
her  [cf.  the  treachery  in  Red  Sh,  etc.].  When  Blaiman  returned,  "he  found  neither  wife,  ship, 
nor  uncles  before  him.  He  ran  away  like  one  mad,  would  not  return  to  his  father-in-law,  but 
went  wild  in  the  woods,  and  began  to  Uve  like  the  beasts  of  the  wilderness.  One  time  he  came 
out  on  an  edge  of  the  forest,  which  was  on  a  headland  running  into  the  sea,  and  saw  a  vessel 
near  land;  he  was  coming  to  his  senses,  and  signalled."  [No  magic  was  used  for  his  cure;  but 
elsewhere  in  the  tale  an  old  woman  three  different  times  "put  him  into  a  caldron  of  venom,  and 
then  into  a  caldron  of  cure"  to  heal  his  wounds.] — J.  Curtin,  "Blaiman,"  Hero  Tales,  373-406, 
esp.  402,  383,  etc. 


112  SIR  PERCEVAL  OF  GALLES 

heroine,  furnishes  food,  drink,  and  a  magic  ring  to  the  hero;  and 
months  later  is  found  in  duress  and  freed  by  him  from  punishment 
inflicted  because  of  her  real  or  supposed  kindness  to  him.  In  all 
three  versions  the  hero  and  Gawain  do  battle  until  they  recognize 
each  other,  the  two  being  warm  friends.  In  all  three  the  hero 
entertains  King  Arthur  at  the  castle  of  the  heroine;  in  two  versions 
this  entertainment  is  combined  with  the  hero's  wedding-feast 
and  in  two  versions  it  occurs  immediately  after  the  combat  between 
the  hero  and  Gawain.  In  all  three  the  hero  does  battle  against 
a  giant  to  free  a  lady,  who,  in  two  versions,  is  a  near  relative  of 
Gawain.  In  all  three  the  battle  against  the  giant  is  closely  associ- 
ated with  the  rescue  of  the  damsel  whose  ring  the  hero  has  worn. 

The  evidence  of  W,  which  has  been  of  signal  worth  in  other 
places,  does  not  wholly  fail  us  in  connection  with  this  story.  W 
has  preserved,  though  in  a  different  place,  the  battle  between 
Perceval  and  Gawain,  when  the  two  heroes  fight  without  recog- 
nizing each  other.  The  combat  is  noticeably  like  the  Yvain- 
Gawain  combat  in  Yv."-  It  comes,  moreover,  near  the  climax — 
or  is  it  the  climax  ? — of  the  story  in  W  in  which  Gawain's  sister  and 
his  aunt  play  important  parts.  Parzival  does  not  have  occasion 
to  free  the  sister  from  persecution,  but  he  does  have  a  single  com- 
bat with  the  man  (a  magician  ?)  who  wishes  to  marry  her,  the 
battle  being  fought  in  Gawain's  own  behalf.  And  King  Arthur  is 
in  the  neighborhood  at  the  time,  though  he  is  to  entertain  rather 
than  be  entertained.  Again,  in  all  four  versions  Perceval  meets 
the  Tent  Lady  upon  the  first  occasion  near  his  boyhood  home, 
and  in  SP  the  second  meeting  appears  to  occur  in  the  same  neigh- 
borhood (2137-40;  butcf.  2201-5);  and  W^  localizes  the  first  meeting 
in  the  forest  of  Broceliande.^     Yv,  of  course,  localizes  the  Fountain 

'Miss  Weston  {Mod.  Lang.  Quarterly,  I  [1898-99],  200)  noticed  this  similarity:  "I  am 
strongly  tempted  to  believe  that  such  a  fight  was  an  integral  part  of  the  early  Gawain  legend. 
We  have  no  fewer  than  four  instances,  the  foemen  being  respectively  Parzival,  Yvain,  Gareth, 
and  Meraugis.  That  the  Yvain  story  has  been  afiFected  by  the  Perceval  legend  also  seems 
probable  from  the  circumstances  of  the  maiden's  reproaches  to  Yvain,  which  strongly  resemble 
the  incident  of  the  Grail  Messenger's  attack  upon  Perceval."  The  Gareth  battle  occurs  in 
Malory,  Book  VII,  chap.  iii.  W,  of  course,  preceding  this  combat  is  paralleled  by  the  last 
portion  of  C. 

'  The  ways  in  which  Wolfram  (or  his  source)  may  have  been  led  to  the  use  of  "Broce- 
liande  "  (Prizljan)  are  too  many  to  permit  any  great  weight  to  attach  to  this  bit  of  evidence,  but 
taken  with  other  things,  it  appears  worthy  of  statement. 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED       II3 

and  its  chapel,  Lunete's  prison,  in  Broceliande.  Wolfram  (or  his 
source,  again)  must  have  recognized  a  resemblance  between  the 
Tent  Lady's  woes  and  Enid's  trials  (in  Erec),  for  he  made  Jeschute 
(his  Tent  Lady)  the  sister  of  Erec  (III,  542-43).  And  Erec  shows 
still  another  resemblance.  The  two  incidents  that  constitute  the 
history  of  the  Tent  Lady  are  easily  comparable  to  the  story  of  the 
Lady  of  the  Silver  Bed^  in  the  Joy-of-the-Court  episode  in  Erec 
(5878-6161)  and  the  Welsh  Geraint  (pp.  243-44) ;  the  two  differences 
being,  first,  that  the  Tent  Lady's  history  is  divided,  other  incidents 
intervening  between  its  two  parts,  while  the  other  Lady's  history 
is  not  so  broken;  and,  second,  the  Tent  Lady  is  sorely  punished 
while  the  Lady  of  the  Silver  Bed  is  not,  but  it  is  interesting  that 
much  of  the  rest  of  Erec  is  devoted  to  an  account  of  how  a  wife 
is  persecuted  by  her  husband.^  And  we  round  back  into  connection 
with  the  Gawain  battle  and  the  battle  for  Gawain's  relative  in 
that  in  W  these  battles  come  just  after  Gawain's  adventures  (Books 
XI,  XII)  of  the  Wonderful  Bed  and  the  breaking  of  a  bough  in  a 
magical  garden,  which  are  roughly  comparable  to  the  adventures 
of  the  Joy-of-the-Court  episode. 

W,  then,  appears  to  be,  or  to  have  drawn  upon,  a  variant  of 
the  story  preserved  in  SP  and  Yv. 

SF  and  C  tell  the  Tent  Lady's  story  with  considerable  differ- 
ences. Which  is  the  older  version  ?  If,  for  a  First  Supposition, 
we  grant  that  C  is  the  older,  then  we  must  account  for  SF  by  assum- 
ing a  contamination  from  some  form  of  the  Iwain  tale.  But  while 
any  reader  of  the  tales  will,  I  beheve,  perceive  easily  the  resem- 
blances here  pointed  out  between  SF  and  the  Iwain  tales,  I  do  not 
believe  he  will  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  SF  is  the  result  of  the 

'  Had  the  Lady  been  husbandless,  I  should  have  said  cf.  the  golden  bed  of  the  tales  sum- 
marized above,  pp.  105  S. 

'  In  Geraint,  as  in  SP,  C,  and  W,  the  husband  suspects  his  wife's  faithfulness  to  him;  in 
Erec  Crestien  found  a  different  motive  for  Erec's  conduct.  I  see  no  reason  why  the  Erec  con- 
nection should  have  suggested  "Broceliande"  to  Wolfram.  The  Joy-of-the-Court  episode  is 
usually  considered  as  developed  from  a  fee  adventure  (it  is  so  much  abbreviated  it  is  a  difficult 
subject  to  form  any  conclusions  about).  Many  scholars  (cf.  Brown's  "Iwain,"  Hart.  Stud, 
and  Notes,  VIII)  hold  the  Fountain  Lady  tale  to  be  of  similar  descent.  Brown  was  of  the 
opinion  that  the  story  of  Lunete's  punishment  and  rescue  was  not  a  part  of  the  early  form  of 
the  tale  (op.  cit.,  p.  133). 

It  looks  not  improbable  to  me  that  a  single  story  was  the  common  ancestor  of  the  Joy-of-the- 
Court  portion  of  Erec  and  (a  highly  rationalized  form  of  it)  of  the  Tent  Lady  and  the  Lunete 
portions  of  SP  and  Yv. 


114  SIR  PERCEVAL  OF  GALLES 

crossing  of  an  Iwain  tale  through  a  condensed  version  of  C.  Such 
an  assumption  will  leave  W  still  unaccounted  for.  If,  for  the 
Second  Supposition,  we  presume  SP  to  represent  the  earHer  form, 
then  the  disappearance  from  C  of  magic  and  of  the  giant,  and  along 
with  the  giant  the  relative  of  Gawain,  is  to  be  accounted  for  in 
accordance  with  a  principle  enounced  above  (p.  67).  The  absence 
from  C,  also,  of  the  hero's  marriage,  and  the  Gawain  battle  and 
the  entertainment  of  the  King,  which  were  closely  associated  with 
the  marriage,  may  receive  some  light  from  the  considerations  that 
follow.  The  Second  Supposition  carries  with  it  as  a  corollary 
the  assumption  that  LF  rather  than  Yv  preserves  the  original 
sequence  of  events  in  the  Iwain  tale.  If  so,  then  Crestien,  or  his 
predecessor,  deliberately  shifted  the  battle  between  the  hero  and 
Gawain  to  serve  as  an  imposing  end  for  his  version  of  the  Iwain 
tale.  Since  C  is  unfinished,  it  is  certainly  possible  to  hold  that  the 
author  intended  to  transfer  some  or  all  of  these  three  omitted ( ?) 
events  to  the  end  of  his  Perceval  tale.^  The  possibility  is  strength- 
ened by  the  fact  that  just  that  transference  occurs  in  W,  where 
the  Gawain  combat,  Gawain's  kinswoman  (both  a  sister  and  an 
aunt),  and  the  reunion,  if  not  the  marriage,  with  the  heroine  (already 
a  wife)  provide  the  material  for  the  last  of  the  tale.  And  lastly, 
chapters  I,  III,  and  IV,  supra,  have  all  shown  that  SP  represents 
the  early  form  of  the  tale  more  closely  than  C  does. 

The  results  set  forth  in  this  chapter  have  not  so  ample  a  founda- 
tion as  those  in  chapter  III,  but  it  appears  to  me  to  be  almost  certain 
that  the  story  of  the  Suspected  Lady  was  incorporated  into  a  frame- 
work to  make  the  tale  of  Perceval.  This  chapter,  too,  accords 
completely  with  the  preceding  chapters  in  furnishing  evidence  that 
the  tale  was  old  enough  and  popular  enough  to  occur  in  variants, 
for  SP,  C,  and  Wolfram-Kiot's  version  appear  to  have  drawn  upon 
variant  forms  of  the  Suspected  Lady's  story.  The  manner  of 
incorporation  of  story  into  frame-tale  will  be  discussed  more  in 
detail  in  the  Conclusion.  The  points  of  contact  were  a  magic 
ring  (or  stone)  already  present  in  the  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle 
story,  the  King's  search  for  the  hero,  and  the  hero's  departure 
from  and  reunion  with  his  wife. 

'  Indeed,  the  last  of  C  looks  like  the  torso  of  an  elaboration  of  this  story  on  a  large  scale. 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THE  LADY  FALSELY  ACCUSED       II5 

In  SP  the  hero  is  reunited  with  his  mother  and  then  returns  to 
his  wife,  and  the  tale  ends.  In  all  versions,  Perceval's  purpose  in 
leaving  the  Besieged  Lady  (Lufamour-Blancheflur)  is  to  seek  his 
mother.  In  the  Grail  group  he  is  not  to  find  her,  for  she  died 
when  her  son  parted  from  her  in  the  forest;  he  hears  of  her  death, 
and  is  shortly  afterward  plunged  into  a  new  set  of  adventures.  In 
SP  she  is  still  living,  and  he  returns  with  her  to  the  city  of  his 
queen-wife.  To  this  extent.  Card  ends  much  as  SP  does.  In 
Red  Sh  the  hero,  on  his  way  returning  to  court,  finds  his  father 
acting  as  a  ferryman,  to  which  lowly  position  he  has  been  reduced 
by  the  hero's  deserting  companions;  taking  him  upon  his  back 
(cf.  the  parallel  situation  in  SP),  the  hero  bears  him  to  court  and 
by  his  might  secures  him  a  position  of  honor;  the  hero  at  this  time 
and  place  rejoins  his  bride. 

Wauchier  and  Manessier  make  their  hero  a  celibate.  C  is 
unfinished.  In  Pd  the  hero  does  not  marry  the  Besieged  Lady, 
but  he  is  no  ceUbate,  his  fourteen  years  with  the  Empress  of  Cristi- 
nobyl  being  a  trial  marriage  at  least.  In  the  other  tales  the  hero 
marries  the  lady  he  has  freed  from  siege,  and  through  her,  in  most 
cases,  wins  a  crown  and  realm;  and  such,  doubtless,  in  a  preliterary 
day,  was  the  consummation  of  the  Perceval  tale. 


CONCLUSION 

By  way  of  conclusion,  I  wish  to  restate  succinctly  the  elements 
of  the  tale  so  far  as  these  have  been  found  separable ;  to  discuss  the 
probable  growth  of  these  elements  into  the  Perceval  tale ;  to  present 
a  brief  comment  upon  the  home  and  early  travels  of  the  tale;  and 
to  offer  a  word  upon  the  relation  of  SP  to  C. 

The  events  studied  in  chapters  I  and  II — the  father's  death,  the 
widow's  flight,  the  forest  rearing,  the  boyish  exploits,  the  revelation 
of  knightly  life,  and  the  hero's  departure  to  seek  the  court  of  the 
king — are,  as  we  have  seen,  some  or  all  of  them  to  be  found  in  a 
goodly  number  of  widely  scattered  tales.  But  these  events  are  not 
such  as  could  ever  have  stood  alone,  could,  that  is,  ever  have 
formed  a  "story,"  for  by  nature  they  are  but  precursory  to  those 
events  of  the  hero's  life  that  made  it  the  life  of  a  hero. 

The  results  of  chapter  III  are  such  as  to  show  that  the  Perceval 
tale  includes  a  group  of  events — the  Red  Knight- Witch-Uncle  story 
— that  occurs  in  completer  form  elsewhere.  Hence  we  decided  there 
that  this  "story"  was  in  some  manner  absorbed  into  a  frame-tale. 

Chapter  IV,  which  is  concerned  with  what  is  the  climax  of  the 
plot  in  SP,  the  adventure  by  which  the  hero  wins  his  wife,  adduces 
the  materials  of  the  Saracen  Influence.  The  events  are  not  such  as 
to  compose  a  "story."  And  the  materials  for  the  discussion  of  this 
"influence"  are  scanty. 

In  chapter  V  we  find  that  SP  contains  a  series  of  incidents  that 
occur  elsewhere  in  so  much  the  same  fashion  as  to  lead  us  to  believe 
that  they,  combined  with  some  events  from  chapter  II,  likewise 
constitute  a  story,  the  Tent  Lady-Giant  story.  Again  the  mate- 
rials, confined  to  three  versions,  are  scanty;  but  since  the  contamina- 
tion of  either  tale  by  the  other  (the  Perceval  and  the  Iwain  tales, 
in  the  versions  now  accessible)  would  be  a  hypothesis  most  difiicult 
to  maintain,  we  decided  upon  the  existence  of  this  story  in  some 
form  independent  of  either  of  these  tales.  The  later  events,  the 
hero's  search  for  his  mother,  his  reunion  with  her,  and  his  return 

ii6 


CONCLUSION  117 

to  his  wife,  as  they  occur  in  SP,  are  subsidiary,  and  can  never  have 
stood  alone  as  a  story. 

These  observations,  then,  lead  us  to  conclude  that  the  various 
Perceval  tales,  or  versions  of  the  Perceval  tale,  are  sprung  from  a 
frame-tale  that  developed  by  incorporating  into  itself  stories  which 
had  previously  had  an  existence  independent  of  it.  Such  a  pro- 
cess of  growth  by  absorption  appears,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  see,  by 
no  means  abnormal.  Pd  affords  a  striking  exemplification  of  it 
within  our  own  cycle.     The  modern  folk-tales  show  it  frequently. 

Thus  far  we  have  depended  upon  analysis  mainly.  Let  us 
extract  the  accretionary  stories,  and  then  test  our  results  by  the 
method  of  synthesis.  In  making  the  subtractions  we  need  to  bear 
in  mind  that  if  we  were  to  deduct  everything  in  the  incorporated 
story  we  should  tear  away  parts  of  the  frame-tale,  for,  I  take  it, 
it  was  a  similarity  of  some  incident  or  situation  in  the  frame-tale 
to  an  incident  or  situation  in  the  added  story  that  led  the  teller 
of  the  tale  to  make  the  incorporation. 

A-Stage. — The  Frame-Tale. — The  frame-tale  had  in  it  approxi- 
mately these  incidents: 

(i)  The  father's  death  by  violence  (variants),  (2)  the  mother's  flight  to  a 
forest,  (3)  the  boyish  exploits,  (4)  the  mother's  explanation  in  reply  to  her  son's 
questions,  (5)  the  hero's  discovery  of  the  existence  of  a  knightly  life  (variants), 

(6)  the  mother's  advice  (in  some  simple  form)  when  the  hero  leaves  the  forest, 

(7)  the  arrival  at  court,  (8)  the  heroine's  request  for  aid,  (9)  the  hero's  rescue 
of  the  heroine  (variants),  (10)  the  hero's  marriage  and  consequent  succession 
to  high  estate,  (11)  the  messenger  to  inform  the  king  of  the  hero's  success,  (12) 
a  battle  with  a  giant  to  save  a  damsel,  (13)  the  hero's  reunion  with  his  mother. 

Perhaps  three  other  incidents  were  parts  of  this  tale.  The  revenge 
motive  was  distinctly  present,  and  there  may  have  been  an  incident 
embodying  it.  Again,  if  the  hero  left  his  wife,  there  was  the  inci- 
dent of  their  reunion.  And  finally,  there  may  have  been,  following 
upon  (11),  the  incident  (nx),  the  king's  visit  to  the  hero. 

Concerning  (12),  the  battle  with  a  giant,  I  am  in  doubt.  It  may 
have  had  another  position,  or  it  may  not  have  been  in  the  tale  at 
all.  The  incident  could  have  entered  the  Perceval  tale  first  in  the 
Tent  Lady-Giant  story,  or  its  presence  in  the  tale  already  in  some 
form  could  have  helped  bring  about  the  absorption  of  that  story. 


Il8  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

I  have  included  the  incident  in  the  frame-tale  because  so  many 
versions  of  it  have  a  battle  with  a  giant  in  some  form.  Incident  (4), 
the  mother's  explanation,  was  originally  for  the  purpose  of  showing 
the  lad's  simple-mindedness,  and  it  probably  included  either  just 
the  lad's  question  and  the  mother's  reply  that  they  two  were  the 
only  people  in  the  world,  or  this  and  the  additional  explanation  as 
to  how  to  slay  beasts  and  bring  them  home  for  food. 

As  for  variants,  the  father's  death,  incident  (i),  must  have  been 
accomplished  by  violence  to  account  for  the  mother's  terror  and 
flight,  but  variants  could  easily  have  arisen;  he  might  be  slain  by 
treachery  as  in  Card  and  W,  in  battle  as  in  Fool,  or  in  tourney  as 
in  Pd  and  SP.  In  incident  (4)  the  means  by  which  the  knowledge 
of  knighthood  (or  martial  life)  came  to  the  hero  was  of  secondary 
importance,  and  hence  variants  arose;  it  might  be  the  appearance 
of  knights  as  in  the  Perceval  tale  and  Card,  the  sight  of  a  dead 
knight  in  armor  as  in  Liheaus  Desconus,  or  the  sight  of  a  horse  as 
in  Fool.  The  place  in  which  we  should  expect  most  variants  is  the 
account  of  how  the  heroine  was  won.  The  more  the  feat  showed 
wonderful  power  in  the  hero,  the  better  the  tale.  The  heroine 
might  need  rescue  from  an  enchanter  who  held  her  in  bespelled 
form  as  in  Card,  or  she  might  be  under  a  spell  that  could  be  removed 
only  by  the  accomplishment  of  a  particular  deed  as  in  Ty,  or  (when 
we  reach  a  narrator  far  removed  from  the  folk-singer  in  temper) 
she  might  be  held  besieged  by  normal  men  as  in  C. 

In  this  stage  the  hero  was  not  yet  definitely  named,  and  was  in 
appearance  a  fool  but  in  reality  a  predestined  hero.  He  was  the 
only  one  who  could  rescue  the  heroine,  and  his  coming  had  been 
prophesied. 

In  the  summary  I  have  not  supplied  details;  and  it  is  wholly 
possible  the  frame-tale  was  never  quite  so  simple  as  I  have  made 
it  appear.  But  even  as  it  is,  this  summary  appears  to  me  to  be  the 
outline  of  a  tale;  it  is  too  specific  and  (if  the  reader  will  supply  the 
meanings  the  phrases  have  borne  in  the  foregoing  pages)  too  detailed 
to  be  considered  merely  a  formula,  such,  for  example,  as  the  "Aryan 
Expulsion  and  Return  Formula."'  The  ninth  and  the  tenth  inci- 
dents are  formula-like,  and  the  reason  for  their  being  so  was  stated 
a  few  sentences  back. 

'Cf.  Hahn,  Arische  Aussetzung  und  RUckkehr  Formel;  Nutt,  Stud.,  153-54- 


CONCLUSION 


119 


This  frame-tale  underlies  a  pretty  large  number  of  tales,  which 
have  grown  into  their  present  form  by  the  incorporation  of  different 
materials.  And  it  is  this  twofold  fact  that  accounts  for  the  tanta- 
lizing resemblances  that  scholars  have  often  noted.  A  table  will 
be  the  best  means  for  showing  what  I  mean.  The  numerals  refer 
to  the  incidents  in  the  summary.  A  bracket  means  that  the 
evidence  of  the  tale  seems  to  me  to  warrant  the  inference  that  the 
bracketed  incident,  though  now  gone,  was  once  a  part  of  the  tale. 


SP 

w 

c 

PC 

Pd 

Card* 

Libeaus  D .  . 


Fool. 
Ty.. 


I 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

ii:»; 

12 

I 

2 

3 

4 
[4] 
4 

5 
5 

6 
6 

7 
7 

9 
9 

10 

II 
II 

iia;? 

I 

2 

3 

I 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

9 

II 

I 

2 

3 

4 

5 

b 

7 

8 

12 

9 

10 

II 

2 

5 

7 

8 

12 

9 

10 

II 

I 

2 

3 

4 

S 

7 

9: 

O'Daly 

'M 

12 

version    ) 

I 

2 

3 

5 

7 

8 

9 

10 

13 


13 


13 

two 

MSS 


13? 


•This  summary  accounts  for  much  the  larger  part  of  Schofield's  "Version  A"  {Harv.  S. 
and  N.,  IV,  154-57);  of  the  nine  sections,  or  groups  of  incidents,  he  sets  up,  his  3,  4,  6,  7,  and  8 
do  not  appear  in  my  summary.  The  right  of  his  4  to  a  place  in  the  summary  is  dubious;  his 
3  is  rather  vague;  8  is  really  a  part  of  7;  and  7  is  a  good  deal  of  a  commonplace  (see  his  note). 
I  am  not  sure  but  that  an  adventure  with  a  fay  or  an  enchantress,  which  Ues  at  the  bottom  of 
Schofield's  6,  was  a  part  of  our  frame-tale  (cf.  the  fay  in  Ty  and  the  faery  in  Fool),  but  the  indi- 
cations are  faint  and  much  overlaid,  and  consequently  I  have  preferred  to  risk  an  omission 
rather  than  make  an  expedition  into  the  dangerous  realm  of  the  fays. 

Bel  Inconnu  and  Wigalois  have  been  much  changed;    cf.  Schofield,  op.  cit. 

B-Stage. — The  second  stage  is  the  result  of  the  incorporation 
of  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story  into  this  frame-tale.  From 
the  evidence  of  SP,  W,  Pd{h),  G,  and  the  folk-tales  we  reconstruct 
the  story  with  about  the  following  incidents : 

(14)  A  magician's  insult  to  the  king  and  departure  with  some  object  belong- 
ing to  him  (teeth,  cup),  (15)  the  despised  youth's  offer  to  avenge  the  insult, 
(16)  (a)  his  start  and  (b)  early  adventures,  (17)  (a)  the  meeting  with  a  damsel 
(b)  who  gives  him  directions  and  (c)  a  magic  ring  (stone  of  victory),  (18)  (a) 
the  encounter  with  the  three  young  men  (with  or  without  their  father),  {b) 
who  are  the  hero's  relatives,  and  (c)  under  a  spell,  (19)  (a)  the  battle  in  their 
behalf  and  (b)  the  death  of  the  crone  of  the  magic  balm,  (20)  the  hero's  second 
visit  to  his  relatives,  (21)  the  death  of  the  magician  and  the  recovery  of  the 
king's  property,  (22)  the  hero's  return  to  court,  (23)  the  bestowal  of  honor  by 
the  king,  (24)  (a)  the  marriage  of  the  hero  (b)  to  the  damsel  who  had  given  him 
the  ring. 


I20 


SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 


Doubtless  this  summary  is  incomplete.  The  hero  was  pretty 
surely  accompanied  by  companions,  who  may  or  may  not  have 
proved  false  to  him;  in  Red  Sh  they  prove  false  and  carry  off  the 
heroine;^  in  Conall  companions  join  him  on  the  way  and  assist 
him,^  and  he  provides  wives  for  them;  in  Pd{h)  only  one  companion 
(Etlym)  appears,  else  the  account  is  rather  similar  to  Conall. 
Between  incidents  (21)  and  (22)  may  have  occurred  the  reunion 
of  the  hero  and  his  parent,  as  in  Red  Sh;  in  Conall  the  father  is 
found  in  duress  and  righted  in  the  same  position  but  in  another 
manner. 

The  presence  of  the  incident  in  which  the  hero  receives  a  magic 
ring  from  a  damsel  is  assured,  first,  by  the  nature  of  the  battle  he 
had  to  fight,  in  which  he  would  need  magic  to  overcome  magic; 
and,  secondly  and  more  strongly,  by  the  testimony  of  Pd{b),  Red 
Sh  variant  d  (and  cf.  the  magic  shoes  of  variant  a),  and  by  the 
interchange  of  rings  in  Conall  and  other  tales. 

The  table  shows  the  sequence  of  incidents  in  the  more  important 
versions  of  the  story.     It  is  arranged  in  two  divisions. 

Versions  unaffected  by  the  Saracen  Influence: 


Red  Sh 

Variant  e .  . 
Ransom .  .  . 
Champion  . 
Fear  Dubh 
Faolan .... 
Manus.  .  .  . 

Dough 

Kil  Arthur. 

Big  Men  .  . 
Lawn  D.  .  . 
G 


14 

IS 

16 

17a 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

14 

IS 

16 

17a 

I  Sac 

19 

20 

21 

22 

? 

(Sub) 

(Sub) 

■  * 

18 

19 

,  . 

20 

22 

(Sub) 

(Sub) 

(18) 

19 

20 

(21) 

lyab 

iSac 

19 

186 

(20) 

22 

(17?) 

18 

19 

20 

(17) 

iSac 

19 

20 

(Sub) 

ijab 

I  Sac 

19 

20 

22 

(+Sub 

for  c) 

(Sub) 

(Sub) 

I  Sac 

19 

20 

(Sub) 

14 

IS 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 
24 
24 

24a 

24 

24a 

24 


24 


Versions  subjected  to  the  Saracen  Influence  (the  list  is  given  here; 
the  Influence  itself  produced  the  fourth,  or  D-Stage;  cf .  infra) : 

'  At  court  one  of  these  companions  insults  the  heroine  (who  has  just  greeted  the  hero  with 
a  laugh),  and  is  punished  therefor;  perhaps  such  an  incident  should  be  included  in  the  summary, 
for  doubtless  it  is  the  original  of  C's  account  of  the  damsel  who  first  honors  Perceval  and  is 
insulted  by  Kay,  who  in  his  turn  is  punished  by  Perceval.  The  insult  to  the  king  in  C's 
source  drew  the  insult  to  the  damsel  into  the  court  scene  as  a  companion  piece. 

'  Conall  is  so  far  altered  that  the  insulter  has  ceased  to  be  a  magician,  is  overthrown  by 
the  hero,  and  then  becomes  one  of  the  companions. 


CONCLUSION 


121 


SP 

Conall .  .  . 
W  (Par- 
zival).. 

(Gah- 
muret). 
Pd{b).... 

24 

lyac 
16 

i7flc 
j6ab 

17 

17b 
(Sigune) 

186 

14 
14 

14 

IS 
IS 

15 

i6a 
160 

16 

21 
21 

21 
i&ac 

iqb 
19 

19a 
17 

18 
i8a6 

1 8a 
19 

24 
20 

20 

20 
20 

19a 

22 

22 
22 

23 
14 

21 

24a 
24 

The  process  by  which  the  story  was  absorbed  into  the  frame-tale, 
expounded  in  chapter  III,  may  be  recapitulated  here.  The  magi- 
cian's arrival  at  court  and  insult  to  the  king  (14)  dislocated  the  ar- 
rival of  the  messenger  bearing  the  heroine's  request  for  aid  (8) .  The 
other  incidents  of  the  story,  excepting  (17),  the  meeting  with  the 
damsel  of  the  magic  ring,  then  followed  down  to  (21),  the  death  of 
the  magician  and  the  return  of  the  king's  property,  though  the 
sequence  was  altered.  Incident  (17),  the  gift  of  the  magic  ring 
that  was  to  be  needed  in  the  combat  against  the  magician,  the  carlin, 
and  her  allies,  could  not  easily  have  been  omitted;  with  the  new 
order  of  events  produced  by  the  incorporation,  it  was  necessary 
for  the  hero  to  meet  the  damsel  either  between  his  departure  from 
court  and  his  encounter  with  the  magician  insulter  or  before  his 
arrival  at  court;  and  the  latter  was  early  preferred.  Incidents  (18) 
and  (20),  the  hero's  two  visits  to  his  relatives,  were  easily  amal- 
gamated, or  one  visit  was  dropped;  the  G  and  Red  Sh  versions 
of  the  story  show  two  visits,  Conall  shows  only  one,  and  Pd{b) 
was  congealed  while  in  the  intermediate  state:  G  makes  it  sure 
that  a  two-visit  form  of  the  tale  was  associated  with  Perceval.  It 
was  after  the  second  visit  that  he  went  to  the  relief  of  the  heroine. 
By  giving  to  a  single  hero  the  deeds  of  two,  the  tale-teller  had 
placed  himself  in  the  way  of  providing  his  hero  with  two  wives, 
which  looks  to  us  like  a  problem  to  solve,  though  solving  it  would 
have  given  little  trouble  to  the  teller  of  Red  Sh  variant  h,  who  says 
of  his  hero  that  he  "married  the  three  ladies  at  once."  Incident  (22), 
the  hero's  return  to  court,  was  lost  in  incident  (11),  the  sending  of 
a  messenger  to  court  to  announce  the  hero's  success.  Doubtless 
in  earlier  times  the  hero  was  said  to  slay  all  his  enemies ;  later  some 
of  them  were  saved  alive  and  substituted  for  the  messenger  of 
success;    and  the  notion  of  sending  captive  knights  to  court  was 


122  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

one  that  would  grow  rapidly  in  favor  with  literary  tellers  of  the 
tale.  Incidents  (23)  and  (24)  were  swallowed  up  in  the  marriage 
of  the  Besieged  Lady  and  the  honors  and  estates  won  thereby. 

Other  changes  have  been  commented  on  in  chapters  III  and  IV: 
how  the  Uncle  came  to  be  made  uncle  of  the  heroine  in  C;  the  death 
of  the  Uncle's  sons  or  brothers  in  the  war  for  the  heroine  in  C  and 
W;  how  Sigune  is  the  representative  of  a  damsel  in  the  incorporated 
story;  etc.  Some  additional  comment  concerning  the  damsel  with 
the  ring  is  to  be  made  a  few  pages  below. 

The  tale  at  the  end  of  the  B-Stage,  then,  would  be  about 
thus: 

(i)  The  father's  marriage;  (2)  his  death  in  tournament  or  by  treachery; 
(3)  the  mother's  flight  to  the  forest;  (4)  the  boyish  exploits;  (5)  the  mother's 
explanation  (or  instruction) ;   (6)  the  hero's  meeting  with  knights  in  the  forest; 

(7)  the  mother's  advice  (probably  in  simple  form)  at  the  hero's  departure; 

(8)  the  meeting  with  a  damsel  who  bestows  a  ring  on  the  hero ;  (9)  the  arrival 
at  court  (king's  welcome,  the  prophecy,  etc.);  (10)  the  magician's  insult  and 
departure  with  a  goblet ;  (11)  the  hero  in  pursuit ;  (12)  the  magician  overthrown 
and  the  goblet  sent  back;  (13)  the  first  visit  to  the  relatives  who  need  help; 
(14)  the  battle  against  the  carlin  and  her  allies;  (15)  the  second  visit  to  the 
relatives;  (16)  the  messenger  for  aid  for  the  heroine;  (17)  the  battle  to  relieve 
her — this  incident  showing  varying  degrees  of  contamination  from  13,  14,  and 
15;  (18)  the  marriage  feast;  (19)  messenger  of  success;  (20)  a  battle  with  a 
giant  to  save  a  damsel;  (21)  the  hero's  reunion  with  his  mother  and  return  to 
his  wife. 

C-Stage. — The  third  stage  resulted  from  the  weaving  in  of  the 
Tent  Lady-Giant  story.  The  sources  are  too  few  for  us  to  deter- 
mine the  limits  of  this  story  with  any  exactness.  As  near  as  the 
incidents  may  be  stated,  we  find  them  as  follows: 

(22)  The  hero,  entering  a  lady's  castle,  finds  food  and  drink,  and  receives 
from  the  lady  or  her  companion  a  magic  ring;  [next  follows  the  hero's  marriage, 
but  the  bride  is  not  the  lady  who  had  bestowed  the  ring] ;  (23)  the  king  desires  to 
see  the  hero;  (24)  the  king's  arrival  in  the  midst  of  the  marriage  feast;  (25) 
the  hero's  encounter  with  the  king's  party — the  battle  between  friends  (one 
being  Gawain)  who  do  not  at  first  recognize  each  other;  (26)  the  king  enter- 
tained; [the  hero's  departure  from  his  wife];  (27)  the  meeting  with  the  lady 
in  distress  because  of  her  former  connection  with  the  hero;  (28)  the  battle 
in  her  behalf;  (29)  the  resulting  battle  with  a  giant,  (30)  which  was  fought  to 
relieve  a  kinswoman  of  Gawain. 


CONCLUSION  123 

Three  tales  contain  this  story — SP,  Yv,  LF;  a  fairly  full  form 
of  it  appears  to  have  been  known  to  Wolfram's  predecessor;  and 
C  and  Pd  contain  emaciated  forms  of  it. 

Before  it  appeared  in  the  Perceval  tale,  it  was  so  far  subjected 
to  the  influence  of  some  such  tale  as  the  one  of  which  Erec  is  the 
hero,  that  the  person  who  persecutes  the  damsel  of  the  ring  for  her 
kindness  to  the  hero  is  her  husband.  Apparently  madness  con- 
nected with  a  ring  was  part  of  this  story. 

The  points  of  similarity  that  led  to  the  incorporation  of  story  and 
tale  were  about  these: — {a)  incident  (8),  the  meeting  with  a  maiden 
who  bestows  a  ring  on  the  hero  (preserved  from  the  Red  Knight- 
Witch-Uncle  story),  and  incident  (22),  the  encounter  with  the  damsel 
of  the  ring  in  the  Tent  Lady-Giant  story— the  magic  ring  and  the 
need  of  it  in  each  case  being  the  points  of  contact,  the  former  inci- 
dent being  absorbed  into  the  latter,  but  determining  the  latter's 
position  in  the  tale;^  {b)  incidents  (16),  the  messenger  seeking  aid, 
and  (23),  the  king's  desire  to  see  the  hero;    (c)  the  marriage  feast 

'  It  seems  to  me  quite  likely  that  the  evolution  of  the  Tent  adventure  may  have  been  more 
complex  than  I  have  indicated  above.  In  this  footnote  I  may  present  one  or  two  ideas  concern- 
ing it  that  are  based  upon  materials  too  scanty  to  entitle  them  to  a  presentation  in  the  body  of 
the  paragraph,  {a)  The  hero's  meeting  with  a  damsel  who  gives  him  a  magic  ring  or  token  is 
a  pretty  well  estabUshed  event,  drawn  from  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story,  (i)  In  some 
forms  of  that  story  the  hero  comes  to  the  house  of  the  Young  Men,  enters  a  room  in  solitude, 
finds  food  set  out  and  helps  himself,  and  then  later  (in  another  room  ?)  meets  with  the  sister 
of  the  Young  Men,  who  welcomes  him;  such,  more  or  less  exactly,  happens  in  Faolan,  Manus 
(damsel  is  absent).  Dough,  Red  Sh  var.  d.  Nowhere  does  he  find  this  damsel  asleep,  (c) 
Given  the  castle,  the  food,  the  going  into  more  than  one  room,  and  the  damsel,  it  would  have 
been  easy  for  some  of  the  story  of  the  visit  to  the  sleeping  damsel  (as  in  Lonesome,  for  example) 
to  enter.  The  original  sleeping  damsel  is  guarded  by  serpents,  lions,  and  other  monsters, 
whom  the  hero  must  escape  while  they  too  are  asleep;  in  the  reconstructed  (euhemerized  ?) 
account,  the  monster  to  be  avoided  is  the  jealous  husband.  The  precipitate  from  the  com- 
mixture of  these  events,  then,  was  in  the  tale  ready  to  assist  the  absorption  of  the  Tent  Lady- 
Giant  story. 

SP  knew  only  this  form.  But  another  form  seems  to  have  had  this  and  in  addition  the 
meeting  with  the  sister  of  the  Young  Men  when  she  sat  upon  a  hillside  or  by  a  forest  and  held 
on  her  knee  the  head  of  a  sleeping  warrior;  from  this  second  form  sprang  C  and  W,  with  their 
giermaine  cosine  and  Sigune. 

When  two  women  appear  in  the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story  (as  in  Pd{b),  Bookedy, 
Lawn  D,  etc.),  they  were  originally,  I  incline  to  think,  but  two  appearances  of  the  same  per- 
sonage; nevertheless  the  tales  do  not  state  as  much,  and  I  may  be  wrong  in  reading  anything 
of  the  sort  into  them. 

Miss  Paton  (^Studies  in  the  Fairy  Mythology  of  Arthurian  Romances,  Boston  [1003],  pp. 
153  ff.)  equates  the  Empress  of  Pd{b)  with  Morgain  la  Fee.  Doubtless  both  of  the  women  in 
the  Red  Knight-Witch-Uncle  story  were  supernatural  beings,  but  to  equate  either  of  them  with 
Morgain  is,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  a  mistake. 


124  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

was  an  amalgamating  point,  drawing  within  its  limits  incidents  (i8), 
(19),  (24),  (25),  and  (26),  the  marriage  feast  and  messenger  of  suc- 
cess in  the  frame-tale,  and  the  king's  desire  to  see  the  hero,  his  arrival 
in  the  midst  of  the  marriage  feast,  and  the  hero's  encounter  with 
members  of  the  royal  household  (especially  Gawain)  in  the  story; 
{d)  incident  (20),  a  battle  with  a  giant  to  free  a  damsel,  and  the 
incidents  (29)  and  (30),  the  battle  with  a  giant  to  bring  relief  to 
Gawain 's  kinswoman. 

After  the  setting  up  of  this  stage  and  before  the  time  of  any 
version  that  remains  to  us  the  tale  must  have  continued  to  grow. 

The  mother's  explanation,  developed  into  the  Instruction,  was 
brought  into  a  connection  with  the  appearance  of  the  knights  in 
the  forest,  and  the  hero's  error  of  supposing  them  God  was  worked 
out.  The  Advice  and  the  incident  at  the  Tent  were  correlated; 
in  the  stories  used,  the  hero  took  a  ring,  and  food  and  drink,  and 
kissed  the  Lady;  the  kiss  and  the  Lord's  treatment  of  the  Tent 
Lady  were  already  estabhshed  affairs;  then  the  Mother's  Advice 
was  revised  to  include  these  matters:  this  explanation  does  not 
make  the  Advice  seem  natural  in  a  mother's  mouth,  but  it  at 
least  supposes  natural  steps  by  which  the  Advice  could  come  to 
be  what  it  is.^ 

The  later  parts  of  the  tale,  from  the  arrival  at  court  on,  do  not 
appear  to  have  needed  much  readjustment. 

The  name  Perceval  did  not  dispossess  other  names  for  the  hero 
until  the  tale  entered  the  third,  or  C-Stage. 

At  the  end  of  the  C-Stage  the  tale  ran  about  thus: 

(i)  The  father's  marriage;  (2)  his  death  in  tournament  or  by  treachery; 
(3)  the  mother's  iiight  to  the  forest;  (4)  the  boyish  exploits;  (5)  the  mother's 
instruction;  (6)  the  hero's  meeting  with  knights  in  the  forest;  (7)  the  mother's 
advice  (expanded)  at  the  hero's  departure;  (8)  the  adventure  at  the  Hall  (or 
Tent),  including  the  meal,  the  kissing  of  the  sleeping  lady,  and  the  departure 
with  her  magic  ring;  (9)  the  arrival  at  court  (king's  welcome,  perplexity,  etc.) ; 

"  Of  course  I  am  aware  that  rationality  is  no  essential  in  directions  to  a  hero  in  folk-tales; 
he  may  be  irrationally  advised  to  do  the  absurdest  things,  which  in  the  end  prove  to  be  the 
wisest  things;  but  I  wonder  if  we  should  not  find,  if  we  knew  the  whole  truth,  that  the  wise- 
absurd  deeds  were  thought  of  first  and  then  the  irrational  advice  or  instruction  adapted  to 
fit  them  ?  The  interest  of  an  audience  in  the  bearing  of  such  advice  upon  such  deeds  is  similar 
to  the  interest  in  the  connection  of  a  riddle  to  its  answer.  And  does  one  invent  a  riddle  and 
then  discover  the  answer,  or  think  of  an  answer  and  then  invent  a  perplexing  question  to  fit  it  ? 


CONCLUSION  125 

(10)  the  magician's  insult  and  departure  with  the  king's  goblet;  (11)  the  hero 
in  pursuit;  (12)  the  magician  overthrown  and  the  goblet  sent  back;  (13)  the 
hero's  first  visit  with  the  relatives  who  need  help;  (14)  the  battle  against  the 
carlin  and  her  allies;  (15)  the  second  visit  to  the  relatives;  (16)  the  heroine's 
messenger  for  aid;  (17)  the  battle  to  relieve  her — this  incident  showing  vary- 
ing degrees  of  contamination  from  13,  14,  15;  (18)  the  marriage  feast;  (19) 
the  king's  desire  to  see  the  hero  (roused  by  the  messenger's  report  of  the  hero's 
deeds)  and  departure  to  seek  him;  (20)  the  king's  arrival  in  the  midst  of  the 
marriage  feast;  (21)  the  hero's  encounter  with  members  of  the  king's  house- 
hold— the  battle  between  two  friends  (hero  and  Gawain)  who  do  not  recog- 
nize each  other  at  first;  (22)  the  king  entertained  at  the  wife's  castle;  (23) 
the  hero's  departure  to  seek  his  mother;  (24)  the  meeting  with  the  lady  in  dis- 
tress because  of  her  former  connection  with  the  hero;  (25)  the  overthrow  of 
her  oppressor;  (26)  the  resulting  battle  with  a  giant;  (27)  the  relief  of  Gawain's 
kinswoman  persecuted  by  the  giant;  (28)  the  hero's  reunion  with  his  mother 
and  his  return  to  his  wife. 

D-Stage. — Doubtless  the  tale,  in  the  C-Stage,  had  minor  varia- 
tions for  each  narrator.  But  it  appears  to  have  entered  into  a  new 
stage  when  two  streams  of  the  tradition  became  marked,  of  which  one 
continued  on  its  way  with  little  alteration  except  such  as  came  from 
weathering,  while  the  other  was  changed  by  being  subjected  to  the 
Saracen  Influence.  From  the  first  stream  came  C  and  G;  from 
the  second,  SP,  W,  Pd{b),  and  parts  of  Pd{a). 

In  chapter  IV  I  have  explained  what  I  mean  by  "Saracen  Influ- 
ence"— not  at  all  the  influence  of  eastern  tales  or  eastern  adven- 
tures upon  this  tale,  but  the  effect  produced  by  a  change  of  conno- 
tation in  some  of  the  phrases  already  present  within  the  tale,  and 
the  consequent  alteration  in  its  supposititious  geography.  This 
influence  appears  not  uncommonly  in  Gaelic  tales.  And  SP,  W, 
and  Pd(b)  show  it.  To  account  for  its  origin,  there  is  no  need  to 
presume  contaminations  from  Charlemagne  or  other  romances, 
nor  to  suspect  additions  from  persons  who  had  been  among  the 
Crusaders.^ 

That  the  ancestors  of  SP,  W,  and  Pd{b)  hung  more  closely 
together  than  did  those  of  SP  and  C,  has  been  abundantly  shown 

'  Some  of  my  readers  must  have  been  surprised  that  I  have  made  no  mention  of  the  "  Celtic 
Other  World."  Scholars  assure  us  that  the  terms  Constantinople,  Greece,  Spain,  Scotland, 
Castle  of  Maidens,  the  Town  under  the  Waves,  etc.,  are  all  substitutes  for,  or  locaUzations  of, 
the  Other  World;  and  doubtless  they  are  right.  It  is  perhaps  true,  further,  that  the  "stories" 
I  have  been  discussing  are  of  mythological  descent.    It  would  be  easy  and  entertaining  to  set 


126  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

in  the  preceding  pages — and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  SP  and  C, 
exclusively,  inherit  two  certain  strong  traits  of  family  likeness,  the 
instance  of  the  hero's  boorishness  at  court  and  the  burning  of  the 
Red  Knight's  body,  as  discussed  supra,  pp.  44  ff.  In  the  history  of 
the  father,  the  mother's  flight,  and  the  boyish  exploits,  SP  and  W 
(and  even  Pd{a)  in  part)  stand  together  as  opposed  to  C.  In  the 
account  of  Gurnemanz'  children  W  contains  (correctly)  matter 
that  could  not  have  come  from  C.  And  SP,  W  (the  account  of 
Gahmuret),  and  Pd{b)  are  held  together  by  the  Saracen  Influence. 
Compare  the  summary  on  pp.  120  ff. 

The  tale  did  not  cease  to  develop  within  the  D-Stage.  In  the 
SP-W  stream  the  Red  Knight  and  the  Tent  Lord  were  brought  into 
contact  with  the  hero's  father;  the  old  notion  of  the  father's  death 
by  violence  and  something  of  a  revenge  motive  lingered  on  dimly, 
and  under  its  influence  the  Knight  and  the  Lord,  who  were  over- 
thrown by  Perceval,  were  made  to  meet  and  harm  the  father,  but 
inasmuch  as  the  death  of  the  Red  Knight  and  the  downfall  of  the 
Tent  Lord  were  already  established  events  when  drawn  into  the 
tale,  the  revenge  motive  was  not  sufiiciently  strong  to  affect  them 
much,  and  consequently  it  lapsed — it  is  weak  in  Fool,  a  tale  of 
the  A-Stage. 

Up  to,  and  including,  the  D-Stage,  the  tale  was  a  biographical 
and  not  a  quest  tale;  it  became  a  quest  tale,  in  some  versions,  only 
when  some  additional  materials  were  engrafted. 

After  the  D-Stage,  still  two  other  stories  were  incorporated 
into  some  versions,  the  Grail  and  the  Swan-Knight  stories. 

E-Stage. — At  just  what  point  the  Grail  story  entered  the  tale 
I  must  leave  others  to  determine.     That  the  account  of  the  Grail 

up  an  Other- World  Visit  to  a  Fay  as  the  origin  for  one  "story"  {Lonesome  and  D'yerree  would  be 
excellent  tales  to  build  on);  and  an  adventure  against  dark  gods — who  eventually  develop 
into  black  men,  then  to  Saracens — would  make  a  good  starting  (or  ending)  point  for  the  Red 
Knight-Witch-Uncle  story,  which  indeed  does  look  like  the  offspring  of  a  Solar  Myth. 

I  have  not  felt  forced  to  penetrate  this  hinterland  in  my  search,  and  so  I  have  stopped  short 
of  it.  Too  often,  I  think,  Celtic  material  has  behaved  like  the  horse  of  the  Slothful  Gillie  in 
Gilla  Decair:  the  moment  a  student  touched  it,  his  hands  stuck  fast,  and  away  it  galloped  with 
him  to  the  Other  World.  And  to  drink  of  the  milk  of  Paradise  is,  I  suspect,  as  dangerous  as 
to  sip  at  the  Pierian  Spring.  I  believe  that  the  theory  of  an  Other- World  visit  can  easily  do 
us  harm,  blind  our  e'es  as  much  as  the  Solar-Myth  hypothesis  bedazzled  the  orbs  of  our  fathers. 
It  explains  so  much  that  one  abnost  begins  to  doubt  if  it  can  truly  explain  anything. 


CONCLUSION  127 

was  a  story  incorporated  into  the  Perceval  tale  appears  to  me  no 
longer  subject  to  doubt.  But  whether  Crestien  first  incorporated 
the  story'  and  Kiot  used  his  version,  or  vice  versa,  or  whether  both 
had  a  common  source,  or  whether  Kiot's  version  had  anything  of  the 
Grail  in  it,  remains  to  be  decided.  Such  few  facts  as  I  am  able  to 
perceive  lead  rather  in  the  direction  of  a  decision  that  Crestien 
was  not^the  man  who  made  the  incorporation:  {a)  Crestien  was 
not  averse  to  magic  and  marvels  (cf.  Erec,  Yvain,  Charrette,  and 
supra,  p.  67,  n.  2)  but  that  part  of  C  that  deals  with  Perceval 
(the  adventures  connected  with  the  Grail  being  excluded) 
has  magic  all  expunged;  {b)  C  appears  to  show  the  work  of  two 
hands — one  man  rigidly  rationalized  the  Perceval  tale  to  make  it 
a  fitting  vehicle  for  the  Grail  story  and  omitted  some  parts  of 
it,  and  then  a  second  man,  who  did  not  know  the  original  Perceval 
tale,  revised  the  first  man's  work,  supplying  a  few  parts  (especially 
if  the  disputed  passage,  11.  1607-82,  be  genuine),  and  elaborated 
the  Gawain  incidents  at  the  end,  in  which  magic  again  occurs. 

F-Stage. — The  introduction  of  the  Swan-Knight  story  iJ/V,  G) 
may  have  preceded  the  E-Stage  or  followed  it.  This,  too,  is  a 
problem  for  others  to  solve.  G's  use  of  the  Swan-Knight  story 
and  its  freedom  (at  the  same  time)  from  the  Saracen  Influence  render 
its  position  in  the  genealogical  tale  most  difiicult  to  determine. 

In  the  table   given  on   p.  128  I  have  endeavored  to  indicate, 
sketchily,  the  probable  evolution  of  the  Perceval  tale. 

Crestien  is  usually  said  to  have  obtained  the  materials  for  his  tale 
of  Perceval  from  either  Welsh  or  Armorican  sources.  If  my  analysis 
of  the  tale,  however,  be  accepted  as  approximately  correct,  we 
find  that  its  constituent  parts  have  retained  their  life  longest  and 
in  the  simplest  shape  in  the  lands  bordering  the  Irish  Sea  and  the 
North  Channel  and  in  the  islands  still  to  the  north.  We  know  that 
the  Celtic  inhabitants  here  are  and  were  great  story-tellers.  The 
natural  gateway  through  which  their  tales  would  reach  English 
hearers  would  be  the  territory  extending  from  Carlisle  (or  Edin- 

'  Cf.  Foerster's  comment,  Karrenrilter  (large  ed.,  1899),  p.  xciv,  and  pp.  cxl  fif. 


128 


SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 


A-Stage:    Frame- tale 


Red  Kiiight-Witch-Uncle  Ston' 


Folk-Tales.    Red  Sh.  elc. 


CONCLUSION  129 

burgh)  to  Chester.  And  that  it  was  within  this  territory  that 
the  Perceval  tale  (into  its  D-Stage)  took  shape,  appears  to  me  in 
the  highest  degree  probable.  I  have  shown  how  certain  folk- 
tales of  the  neighboring  territory  could  have  developed  into  the 
Perceval  tale:  the  reverse  is  impossible;  C,  the  oldest  written 
version  of  the  Perceval  tale,  could  never  have  given  rise  to  the  other 
tales  we  have  been  studying.  Two  or  three  more  facts  may  be 
mentioned  as  offering  circumstantial  evidence  that  this  territory 
was  the  mother-country.  Pd{b)  is  the  form  of  the  Red  Knight- 
Witch-Uncle  story  that  varies  farthest  from  the  norm;  it  is  not 
unreasonable  to  suspect  that  this  condition  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
while  as  yet  in  oral  tradition,  this  version  had  got  farthest  away 
from  home,  was  least  subject,  i.e.,  to  the  check  of  an  audience  more 
or  less  acquainted  with  it.  The  Addanc  seems  to  be  pecuharly 
a  Welsh  substitute  for  the  Hag  and  her  allies.^  SP  belongs  by 
dialect  to  this  territory,  and  SP  is  not  to  be  accounted  for  as  a 
descendant  of  any  known  French  or  other  version.  The  tale  could 
easily  have  been  carried  east  to  Edinburgh,  Durham,  York,  or 
Lincoln,  or  to  Wales,  and  thence  to  France,  Finally,  the  geography 
of  all  the  tales  in  the  group  we  have  studied  accords  better  with  the 
geography  of  this  section  than  with  that  of  any  other.^ 

The  first  of  the  two  serious  objections  that  can  be  raised  against 
this  theory  lies  in  the  personal  names.  If  SP  did  not  owe  its  per- 
sonal names — Perceval   "de   Galays,"^  Arthur,    Gawain,   Ewain, 

■  The  name  of  Peredur's  father,  Evrawc,  equals  York.  Rhys  comments  {Arth.  Leg., 
75,  note):  "For  the  legend  which  connects  Peredur  with  the  Yorkshire  town  of  Pickering,  see 
Stow's  Annates  or  General  Chronicles  of  England  (London,  1615),  I,  12."  For  arguments  that 
Welsh  and  Gaels  came  in  contact  in,  or  to,  the  north  of  Wales,  see  Rhys,  Celtic  Folklore,  II, 
553-54.  and  Nutt,  "Mabinogion  Studies,"  Folk  Lore  Record,  V  (1882),  1-32.  On  "Addanc," 
see  "  Afanc"  in  the  index  to  Rhys's  Celtic  Folklore  (Oxford,  igoi). 

On  this  Northwest-of-England  territory  as  a  gateway  for  the  entrance  of  Gaelic  tales,  cf. 
the  last  of  the  routes  discussed  by  G.  H.  Maynadier  in  chap,  v  of  his  Wife  of  Bath's  Tale  (London, 
1901). 

'  My  argument  for  SP's  independence  of  C  will  not  be  affected  by  any  geographical  decision 
the  reader  may  reach.  He  may  prefer  to  believe  that  the  Breton  nobles  and  their  followers 
who  were  established  in  northwest  England  by  William  the  Conqueror  from  11 69  on  (cf.  Zim- 
mer,  Z.  f.  nf.  Sp.,  XIII,  qi  ff.,  and  his  references  to  Freeman's  Norman  Conquest)  brought 
with  them  the  account  which  was  later  to  secure  so  firm  a  hold  among  the  dwellers  thereabouts. 
To  me  it  appears  much  more  probable  that  the  Bretons  and  other  Continentals  learned  the 
tales  in  the  Borderland  territory  and  carried  them  thence  to  France.  Which  of  these  two  things 
happened  or  whether  either  ever  really  happened,  cannot  as  yet  be  determined. 

'  C's  form  is  It  Gallois;  SP  has  "the  Galayse"  (1643)  and  "de  Galays"  (1990). 


130  SIR  PERCEVAL   OF   GALLES 

Kay,  Acheflour — to  C,  there  is  no  reason  for  believing  it  ever  came 
under  the  influence  of  the  French  version  in  the  sHghtest  degree. 
Since  Wolfram  (Kiot)  and  Gerbert  attributed  to  Perceval  that  which 
they  could  not  possibly  have  taken  from  C;  since  Pd(b)  attributed 
to  Peredur  incidents  which  its  author  could  hardly  have  suspected 
of  being  variants  of  some  in  G,  even  if  he  knew  G;  since  a  similar 
statement  may  be  made  of  SP;  and  since  we  have  determined 
that  these  attributions  were  correctly  made;  it  is  only  fair  to  con- 
clude that  the  hero  became  known  as  Perceval  (Peredur,  in  Wales) 
early  in  the  C-Stage  of  the  tale,  while  it  as  yet  lived  an  oral  life 
and  some  time  before  it  reached  the  hands  of  Crestien.  The  name 
Perceval  was,  it  would  seem  from  the  attempts  to  explain  it,  a 
puzzle  to  the  French  romancers/  Hence,  until  some  scholar  can 
explain  its  source  and  meaning,  it  should  not  be  offered  as  evidence 
against  the  geographical  theory  just  propounded. 

The  second  objection  is  to  be  found  in  the  use  of  the  Tent  Lady- 
Giant  story.  But  until  the  provenance  of  the  Iwain  tale  and  its 
component  parts  shall  have  been  determined,  this  objection  can 
be  considered  as  ground  only  for  a  suspended,  not  for  an  adverse, 
judgment  upon  the  theory. 

To  the  reader  who  has  been  patient  enough  to  follow  me  thus 
far,  let  me  point  out  this  fact:  PC,  W,  Pd,  and  G  have  been  most 
valuable  as  guides  and  controls  in  seeking  and  weighing  evidence; 
but  the  use  of  no  one  of  them,  nor  of  all  of  them  put  together,  has 
been  an  indispensable  factor  in  the  establishment  of  any  of  my 
main  contentions,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  matter  of  dates; 
for  all  of  these  contentions  could  have  been  based  on  the  evidence 
of  the  folk-tales  and  the  Iwain  tale. 

Further  recapitulation  is  not  needed  to  show  that,  first,  C,  with 
or  without  its  prefaces  and  continuations,  cannot  have  served  as  a 
source  for  some  parts  of  SP;  and,  second,  that  its  influence  in  any 
way  is  not  necessarily  to  be  supposed  to  account  for  any  or  all  of 
SP.^  The  English  poem  is,  I  think,  wholly  independent  of  the 
French  one. 

■  Cf.  Perlesvaus,  Par-lui-fet,  Perce-Forest,  etc.,  with  the  explanation  that  Perceval  means 
"through  the  valley,"  etc. 

"The  "considerable  number  of  verbal  coincidences"  between  SP  and  C  of  Newell,  Leg. 
of  the  Holy  Grail,  82,  I  have  not  discovered. 


CONCLUSION  131 

Most  Students  have  presumed  that  SP  is  either  an  adaptation 
or  a  translation  of  a  French  original.  I  see  no  way  to  prove  that 
it  is  or  is  not.  But  I  see  no  especial  ground  for  believing  that  it 
is;  and  I  think  it  will  be  simpler  and  more  in  accordance  with  all 
the  evidence  in  the  case  to  consider  it  an  English  singer's  versifica- 
tion of  a  folk-tale  that  was  known  in  his  district  of  Northwest 
England. 


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